Tile with imitation grout line

ABSTRACT

A tile for use as a covering on a floor, wall, or other surface comprising a top section disposed on a rigid core layer, wherein the top section comprises in some embodiments a veneer layer, or another layer or coating of material, such as polyurethane, upon which at least one design element may be imparted, such as through printing processes. The inventive tile in some embodiments described herein further comprises an exposed portion, or a plurality thereof, configured to provide a highly realistic imitation of a grout line. The inventive tile may also comprise at least one interconnecting mechanism, wherein such interconnecting mechanism may be formed on the same side of the tile as the exposed portion. In at least one embodiment, the layer or coating of material is disposed in covering relation to the exposed portion, and alternatively, a protective layer may instead be applied onto the exposed portion.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of a currently pending patentapplication having Ser. No. 17/002,418, filed on Aug. 25, 2020 and setto issue as U.S. Pat. No. 11,149,442 on Oct. 19, 2021, which is acontinuation of currently pending patent application having Ser. No.16/358,241 and a filing date of Mar. 19, 2019, which itself is aContinuation in Part (CIP) of a patent application having Ser. No.16/196,974 and a filing date of Nov. 20, 2018, which claims priority toa Continuation in Part (CIP) patent application having Ser. No.15/950,046 and a filing date of Apr. 10, 2018 and which matured intoU.S. Pat. No. 10,132,088 on Nov. 20, 2018, which in turn claimedpriority to a patent application having Ser. No. 15/454,650 and a filingdate of Mar. 9, 2017, which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 9,938,726 on Apr.10, 2018, which in turn claimed priority to a U.S. provisional patentapplication having Ser. No. 62/380,122 and a filing date of Aug. 26,2016. In addition, the present application claims priority to acurrently pending Continuation in Part (CIP) patent application havingSer. No. 15/949,979 and a filing date of Apr. 10, 2018, which is set toissue as U.S. Pat. No. 10,233,656 on Mar. 19, 2019, which also claimspriority to the above-referenced patent application having Ser. No.15/454,650 and a filing date of Mar. 9, 2017, which matured into U.S.Pat. No. 9,938,726. All of the foregoing applications and patents areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a tile, such as a flooring tile,which in most embodiments is made entirely from synthetic materials andhaving an appearance of real marble, stone, ceramic or wood, and whichoffers a highly realistic looking but imitation grout line formed alongthe length of one or more of its sides. The inventive tile comprises atleast a top layer and a core layer, and during the manufacturingprocess, at least a portion of the top layer is formed so as to definean exposed portion along at least one side of the tile, which extendsoutwardly below and away from the top surface of the tile. In someembodiments, the top layer may comprise only a veneer layer, or one ormore coatings of material with the appearance of wood or stone appliedby printing thereon. The exposed portion of the tile may comprise atextured surface or be otherwise structured to closely resemble the lookand feel of an actual grout line, and further, may include a colorant tocorrespond with the overall intended color of the resulting tile. In oneor more additional embodiments, the inventive tile includes a protectivesection structured to avoid or reduce staining of the exposed portionthat closely resembles an actual grout line.

Description of the Related Art

During the construction of a home, building or other structure, therewill almost always be an unfinished floor surface such as a slab ofconcrete, a wood sub-structure or the like, which needs to be finishedto offer a more appealing and/or polished appearance. It is also truethat there will almost always be an unfinished wall surface made of awood substructure, having dry wall affixed thereto, or anothersubstructure such as concrete or concrete block. In many cases, tileswill be used to finish either a floor surface or a wall surface, withthe tiles often being made of real marble or stone, or depending onbudgetary constraints, of porcelain or ceramic. Traditionally, suchtiles are secured to the unfinished floor slab or wall surface using acement-like mixture, with one or more tiles disposed closely next toeach other, and leaving a small separation between the sides of adjacenttiles. Forming this separation between tiles is often tedious andrequires the use of spacers to ensure uniformity and alignment of thetiles. Also, this separation will later be filled with a grout mixtureas part of the installation process, which creates a “grout line” aroundthe sides of the tiles. In general, the process of installing tile andcreating the grout line involves a significant amount of time, whichadds to the labor and overall cost of the project.

Over the last several years, flooring products and tiles have been madefrom synthetic materials and configured to imitate the look of a realtile of marble, stone or ceramic. For example, laminate and vinylflooring products are known, including some that imitate the look ofreal stone, marble, or ceramic tiles. These flooring products create anoptical or visual illusion so that the surface of the tile looks likereal stone, marble or ceramic or even like real wood flooring.Traditionally, however, such flooring products are manufactured so as torequire that the individual tiles be installed directly next to eachother, often in abutting relation, although some of these products areinstalled with a slight separation between them to facilitateinstallation on uneven floor surfaces. While this slight separation maybe observable and in some cases may appear as a small seam or even as amicro groove, these types of known tiles do not offer any structure torepresent or closely resemble the look and feel of a real grout line.This is also true of existing imitation flooring products having aninterconnecting mechanism to facilitate installation, such ascorrespondingly disposed “tongue” and “groove” structures formed along aside of a tile. Additionally, some laminate flooring planks are known tooffer an optical illusion of having a grout line, but in reality, theseams of such flooring planks and/or tiles are completely flat and haveimitation grout lines drawn and shaded on the edges by an artist to givethe impression of depth.

It would therefore be ideal if a tile were made so as be formed fromsynthetic materials so as to offer the appearance of genuine wood orstone, and also so as to reliably include an artificial but highlyrealistic looking grout line. Any such tile would preferably alsoinclude a top layer and a rigid core layer, at least partially or fullyinto which the artificial grout line is formed.

While some flooring products or tiles exist, none are believed to haveever featured one with a top layer of material, such as but not limitedto a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material having an optimal density orother characteristics so that a portion thereof can be exposed duringthe manufacturing process to form an imitation grout line with a highlyrealistic look and feel of an actual grout line. Furthermore, no suchtiles or flooring products are believed to have ever featured a toplayer of material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), combined with acolorant during the manufacturing process so as to provide a variety ofcolors for the imitation grout line that will match with or closelycorrespond to the overall color of the resulting tile.

Additionally, of the known flooring products or tiles that exist, noneare believed to feature a rigid core layer formed of a densified foammaterial or a stone plastic composite material and having optimaldensity ranges or other characteristics that render it sufficientlyrigid and durable for a wide variety of applications.

Also, and even though some of the existing imitation flooring productshave correspondingly disposed “tongue” and “groove” structures formedalong a side of a tile, there are drawbacks associated with these whenit is desired to use such flooring products on a wall surface, asopposed to a floor surface. More specifically, the installation processfor such products on a vertical surface, such as a wall, is cumbersomeand further, remains labor intensive and therefore costly. As such,there is room for improvements in the structuring of such tiles forinterconnection and installation on a vertical surface, such as a wall.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial if an improved tile or flooringproduct made from synthetic materials were developed, such as but notlimited to one having a core layer made at least in part from adensified foam material, or from a stone plastic composite material, soas to be sufficiently rigid and durable for a wide variety ofapplications, and further, which is capable of being easily and quicklyinstalled, even on a vertical surface, such as a wall. Additionally, ifany such improved tile or flooring product were developed, it would alsobe beneficial if it could be made to include a top layer of material,such as but not limited to a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material, that iscapable of being readily formed during the manufacturing process toachieve a desired appearance, such as the look of natural wood, stone,etc. and at least partially into or through which, an artificial butrealistic looking grout line could be formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is intended to present a solution to these andother needs which remain in this field of art, and as such, is directedto a tile, primarily but not exclusively intended for use in flooringapplications, that imitates the look and feel of a real tile surfacesuch as stone, ceramic, or marble, and the like, including the look ofwood flooring, and further, which is formed from material(s) that can bemade in a variety of different colors and designs. The present inventionis also directed, however, to a tile that is structured to have animitation grout line, but with a highly realistic look and feel similarto an actual grout line, formed on or substantially along at least oneside or edge of the tile. Additionally, the tile of the presentinvention may be manufactured in different dimensions of varying lengthand width, and may also be produced in a variety of shapes such as, butnot limited to, rectangular, square, hexagonal, or octagon, and others.As will also be described with regard to at least one or more otherembodiments, the tile of the present invention may also be manufacturedso as to include a very thin veneer layer of genuine wood or stone, ortop layer of another material or coating of material.

As will become clear from the description which follows, the tile of thepresent invention comprises at least a top layer and a core layer. Thetop layer in most embodiments, but not all, comprises generally a layermade from a vinyl composite material, including a synthetic plasticpolymer such as, but not limited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However,in some embodiments described herein, particularly wherein the corelayer of the inventive tile is made from a stone plastic composite(SPC), which may also be referred to at times as a stone polymercomposite (SPC), a top layer or section comprising a polyvinyl chloride(PVC) material is not needed, while in one or more other embodiments, atop layer or section may be included which may comprise a decorativelayer and a wear layer. Additionally, it should be noted the core layerof at least one embodiment of the present invention may comprise yetadditional types of material compositions, provided such materialcomposition possesses sufficiently rigid properties for use in flooringapplications. Accordingly, such a core layer may comprise variousdensities, various amounts of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or other likesynthetic plastic polymers, and/or various amounts of calcium carbonateor other like chemical compounds.

Even further, the top layer may instead comprise alternate materials.For instance, as previously stated, the top layer and/or top section maycomprise a veneer layer, such as a very thin layer of genuine wood orstone. Alternatively, the top layer, whether as a veneer layer or otherlayer of material may instead comprise a coating of material, such asbut not limited to an enamel coating, which may itself comprise a fillcoat or any other like topically applied material, such as an acrylicand/or polycrylic coating, or a coating of polyurethane and/orethoxyline resin. In such embodiments, the coating of material, such asan enamel coating, may be applied to or disposed directly onto the corelayer and may comprise a clear and/or a colored appearance, such aswhite, beige, grey, black, some combination thereof, or otherwise. In atleast one embodiment of the present invention, the coating of material,such as an enamel coating, may be applied onto the core layer when inliquid form, such as through one or more spraying processes. And, inembodiments wherein the core layer is naturally porous due to itschemical composition, such as when the core layer is comprised of astone plastic composite material and/or a stone polymer compositematerial, the coating of material, such as an enamel coating, may bepredisposed to seal such inherent porosity, thereby filling in any gapsand/or crack inherent in the core layer. In this sense, it may beunderstood such top layer and/or section need not comprise an actuallayer of solid material adhesively joined to the core layer; but rather,may merely comprise a topical liquid applied onto the core layer, beforesubsequently being allowed to dry.

It may be understood that once applied to the core layer, the coating ofmaterial, such as but not limited to an enamel coating, may function asa primer of sorts, wherein the surface of the core layer is renderedsmooth, and suitable for the application of at least one design elementthereon. As further described herein, such at least one design elementmay comprise, for instance, textures, grooves, impressions, undulations,color or graphical designs, or any other feature now known or hereafterdeveloped, and may be applied to the tile by printing thereon. Forinstance, such at least one design element may be configured or printedto imitate the look and feel of real materials, such as real stone ormarble, or real wood.

In most embodiments, but not all, the top layer of the inventive tilecomprises at least one PVC layer, as described above. However, in atleast one preferred embodiment, the top layer additionally comprisesboth a wear layer and/or a decorative layer. Also, the top layer of thetile, and particularly the wear layer in said one or more embodiments,is formed to have a selected thickness depending upon the intended useof the tile such as residential, light contract, heavy commercial, orother type of use. Moreover, the density of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer material is such that the inventive tile(s) may be readilymodified during the manufacturing process to achieve the desired effectof offering a highly realistic looking grout line when viewed by aperson standing on or near the floor surface. Also during themanufacturing process, the top surface of the tile, defined by the toplayer and specifically, by the wear layer in one or more embodiments,may be pressed or otherwise modified to achieve a variety of texturedsurfaces thereon, which help to provide the tile with an appearance ofreal marble, stone, ceramic or of a real wood surface or other naturaltextures. The core layer of the inventive tile comprises a rigid andwaterproof material. More specifically, the core layer comprises a“densified foam” material in several embodiments. Also, the materialcomposition and density range of the densified foam ensure that the corelayer, and consequently the tile(s), is/are both relatively lightweightand yet sufficiently rigid and durable for flooring applications. Insome cases, the core layer comprising a densified foam material may bereferred to as a Wood Plastic Composite (WPC), but the composition ofthe core layer should not be construed as being limited to this.Additionally, the core layer may have a smooth texture. Further, thecore layer may comprise one or more sublayers that serve as anunderlayment. These sublayers may be made from other materials such as,but not limited to, laminate foil, cork, foam, or ethyl vinyl acetate.

The inventive tile also comprises an exposed portion that extendsoutwardly from and along the length of at least one side of the tilethat is structured to simulate a grout line. The exposed portion isassociated with a sidewall and defines a gap that preferably extendsuniformly and substantially along the side of the tile. The exposedportion additionally comprises a textured surface structured to closelysimulate the appearance of a real grout line. The exposed portion mayalso be formed on one or more layers of the inventive tile so as to haverealistic looking dimensions and coloring. As illustrated in several ofthe Figures, the exposed portion is formed along at least one side ofthe inventive tile, but in other embodiments, may be disposed along morethan one side or even along all sides of the tile. This exposed portionis preferably formed on the tile during the manufacturing process, asopposed to during installation. During the manufacturing process, atool, such as but not limited to a knife, cutting blade(s) and the like,may be configured and used to remove a portion of the top surface of thetile uniformly along at least one selected side thereof, or even acrossa central or middle portion thereof, and will expose at least a portionof the top layer of the tile, and in some embodiments may expose aportion of the core layer. Additionally, the knife, cutting blade(s) orother tool may also modify the exposed portion, such as by furthercutting and/or profiling of it so as to provide the textured appearancethat closely simulates the look and feel of a real grout line.

In one or more additional embodiments, the present invention furtherincludes a protective section disposed between a top section and a corelayer of the tile, which includes an exposed portion formed to closelyresemble a real grout line, as described herein. The protective sectionis structured to at least partially reduce and/or avoid staining of theexposed portion comprising the imitation grout line. The protectivesection comprises at least a protective layer, and in some embodimentsmay comprise a clear polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material that is resistantto abrasion, and that is structured to avoid or reduce staining. In apreferred embodiment, the protective section additionally comprises adecorative layer disposed under the protective layer and made of a verythin, film-like material, such as PVC, and which further includes acolorant. In one or more of these embodiments of the invention, theexposed portion may be formed directly on the protective section, andmore specifically, on the protective layer.

In at least one additional embodiment, the tile according to the presentinvention may further include a vinyl layer joined to the top section.The vinyl layer may also be joined to a core layer below, although acore layer is not strictly required. In tiles comprising a vinyl layer,an exposed portion configured to imitate a grout line may be formed onat least a portion of the top section of the tile. In embodiments of thetile comprising a vinyl layer, the top section may comprise a first anda second wear layer, as well as a first and a second decorative layers.The first wear layer is generally coincident with the top surface of thetile. The first decorative layer is generally disposed below the firstwear layer and is structured to imitate the feel of a natural materialsuch as, but not limited to, naturally occurring stone or wood. TheSecond wear layer is generally disposed below the first decorative layerand comprises a substantially equivalent structure to the first wearlayer. The second decorative layer is generally disposed below thesecond wear layer and has a color that corresponds to an intended groutcolor. Generally, the exposed portion structured to imitate a grout linemay be defined by exposing at least a portion of the second wear layer.

Additional features of the tile of the present invention include aninterconnecting mechanism formed on at least one side of the tile tofacilitate installation. For example, the interconnecting mechanism maycomprise a “tongue” formed along one side of a tile, and a “groove”formed along one side of a different tile, and which are cooperativelystructured to be matingly interconnected so as to join two differenttiles together along their correspondingly disposed sides. Additionally,the “tongue” side and/or the “groove” side may each be configured toaccommodate the exposed portion defining a gap along a side or edge ofthe tile. In one or more other embodiments, the inventive tile includesat least an extended interconnecting mechanism to facilitateinstallation of the tile on a vertical surface, such as a wall, as wellas on other surfaces.

Other features of the tile of the present invention include a bevelcomprising a slanted edge, formed on the side(s) of the tile, andspecifically, adjacent to the exposed portion of the tile and texturedsurface. The sidewall associated with the exposed portion may includethe bevel at an upper portion thereon, and in general, the bevel helpsto more closely simulate the look and feel of a real grout line. Thebevel may be formed in a variety of sizes, but in one embodiment, theangle of inclination of the bevel, with respect to the top surface ofthe tile, will be in a range between about 30° to about 90° although inan illustrated embodiment, this angle will be closer to about 12°. Ingeneral, in embodiments having a bevel, the intended width of theresulting simulated grout line will be a factor in determining thesteepness of a corresponding angle of inclination. For example, asteeper angle of inclination may correspond to a grout line having asmaller width, while a less steep angle of inclination may correspond toa grout line having a larger width. Alternatively, the bevel may have amodified structure, such as a two staged descent from the top surface ofthe tile to the exposed portion and textured surface simulating a groutline. In another embodiment, the bevel may comprise a “micro” bevel.

In further embodiments of the present invention, for instance thosewherein the top section of the tile merely comprises an enamel coatingapplied directly onto the core layer, with the enamel coating having atleast one design element printed thereon, such a top section may furthercomprise a shielding layer. Such a shielding layer may be configured to,for instance, protect the tile from liquids, spills, abrasions, anddeformations, and may be, in at least one embodiment, substantiallytransparent, such that the design feature(s) present on the enamelcoating are visible. In at least one embodiment of the presentinvention, such a shielding layer may comprise a topical coating, suchas an acrylic solution, which may be applied through spray procedures orany other like process configured to apply a liquid coating onto the topsurface of the tile. Alternatively, such a shielding layer may comprisea wear layer akin to the one previously discussed. Conversely, such ashielding layer may instead comprise a film layer, which itself maycomprise a thin sheet of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or someother material akin thereto, such as a thermoplastic polymer or asynthetic plastic polymer. As may be understood, alternative types,compositions, thickness, and material properties of such a shieldinglayer may vary dependent upon the intended application of the tile ofthe present invention. For instance, the use of the tile in residential,light contract, or heavy commercial applications may dictate therequisite properties of the shielding layer.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tile suitablefor use as a flooring surface, which is made from synthetic materialsand closely imitates the look of real stone, marble, ceramic or evenwood flooring, but which also offers an imitation grout line with ahighly realistic look and feel similar to that of an actual grout line.

Another primary object of the present invention is to provide aninventive tile made from synthetic material(s) that can be readilyformed during the manufacturing process to define an exposed portionincluding a gap substantially or entirely along a selected side thereofand that can be readily profiled to achieve a texture surface thereonwhich closely matches the look and feel of an actual grout line.

Yet another primary object of the present invention is to provide a tilewith a highly realistic looking and yet imitation grout line that canalso be manufactured in variety of colors so as to offer a close matchwith and consistency of color relative to the overall color of theresulting tile, which has not been achieved before in any existingproducts.

An advantage of the tile of the present invention in at least someembodiments is that the material(s) used to make it is/are relativelylightweight and yet sufficiently rigid and durable for a wide variety ofapplications, and is/are also waterproof.

A feature of the tile of the present invention is that in at least someembodiments there is an interconnecting mechanism formed along at leastone edge thereof or more that facilitates the assembly and installationprocess.

Another advantage of the tile of the present invention is that thematerials(s) used to make it are capable of assuming a variety ofdifferent shapes, colors and/or designs.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become clearer when the drawings as well as the detaileddescription are taken into consideration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description, as takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a tile in accordance with thepresent invention comprising a top layer and a core layer, andillustrating an exposed portion formed in the top layer.

FIG. 2 is also a transverse sectional view of a tile in accordance withthe present invention comprising a top layer and a core layer similar toFIG. 1, but illustrating the top layer as including both a polyvinylchloride (PVC) layer and a wear layer.

FIG. 3 is also a transverse sectional view of a tile in accordance withthe present invention comprising a top layer and a core layer similar toFIG. 1, but illustrating the top layer as including a polyvinyl chloride(PVC) layer, a decorative layer and a wear layer.

FIG. 4 is also a transverse sectional view of a tile in accordance withthe present invention comprising a top layer and a core layer similar toFIG. 2, including the top layer having a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layerand a wear layer, but illustrating the exposed portion formed on thecore layer.

FIG. 5 is also a transverse sectional view of a tile in accordance withthe present invention comprising a top layer and a core layer similar toFIG. 3, including the top layer having a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer,a decorative layer and a wear layer, but illustrating the exposedportion formed on the core layer.

FIG. 6 is also a transverse sectional view of a tile according to thepresent invention, but illustrating a preferred embodiment of the toplayer and exposed portion, as well as a core layer and aninterconnecting mechanism.

FIG. 7-A is also a transverse sectional view of a tile according to thepresent invention in another preferred embodiment comprising at least atop layer that includes a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer, and a corelayer, and also an interconnecting mechanism, and illustrating anexposed portion having an imitation grout line formed in the PVC layer.

FIG. 7-B is also a transverse sectional view of a tile according to thepresent invention in yet another embodiment comprising at least a toplayer, and a core layer, along with an interconnecting mechanism, andillustrating an exposed portion having an imitation grout line formed onthe core layer.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown inFIG. 1 comprising a top layer and a core layer.

FIG. 9 is also a perspective view of the invention similar to FIG. 1 butillustrating another embodiment wherein the tile comprises and a toplayer including a wear layer, a decorative layer and a polyvinylchloride (PVC) layer, as well as a core layer, and further, showing theexposed portion formed with most of the top layer removed so as to bedisposed into the PVC layer.

FIG. 10 is also a perspective view of the invention similar to FIG. 1but illustrating the embodiment wherein the tile comprises a top layerincluding a wear layer, a decorative layer and a polyvinyl chloride(PVC) layer, and further, showing the exposed portion having animitation grout line formed on the core layer.

FIG. 11 is a perspective exploded view of the embodiment represented inFIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a transverse sectional view of one embodiment according tothe present invention having a bevel formed on the top layer.

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view of an alternative embodimentaccording to the present invention having a bevel formed on the corelayer.

FIG. 14 is a transverse section view of yet another embodiment accordingto the present invention having a micro bevel formed on a top layer.

FIG. 15-A is a plan view of one preferred embodiment according to thepresent invention showing a tile comprising an exposed surface with animitation grout line formed on all of its sides.

FIG. 15-B is a plan view of several tiles, each similar to the tiledepicted in FIG. 15-A with an exposed portion and imitation grout lineformed on all of its sides, interconnected together to create a floor orwall covering.

FIG. 16-A is a plan view of another preferred embodiment according tothe present invention showing a tile comprising an exposed surface withan imitation grout line formed on two of its sides.

FIG. 16-B is a plan view of several tiles, each similar to the tiledepicted in FIG. 16-A with an exposed portion and imitation grout lineformed on two of its sides, interconnected together to create a floor orwall covering.

FIG. 17-A is a plan view of another preferred embodiment according tothe present invention showing a tile comprising an imitation grout lineformed on two adjacent sides.

FIG. 17-B is a plan view of another preferred embodiment according tothe present invention showing a plurality of interconnected tiles eachcomprising an imitation grout line formed on two adjacent sides.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of another embodiment of a tile according to thepresent invention, comprising an elongated interconnecting mechanism andan exposed portion structured to imitate a grout line.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a tile accordingto the present invention comprising a top section and a core layer andhaving an elongated interconnecting mechanism formed along one sidethereof, and a mating interconnecting mechanism formed along anoppositely disposed side thereof.

FIG. 20 is a transverse sectional view of the embodiment of a tile shownin FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a top section and a corelayer, with interconnecting mechanism formed along opposite sidesthereof, and including an exposed portion structured to imitate a groutline.

FIG. 22 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of two differenttiles, each similar to that shown in FIG. 21, but illustrating the tilesmatingly connected to each other.

FIG. 23 is a front view of two tiles, each similar to that shown in FIG.21, illustrating a positioning of one tile relative to another inpreparation for installation on surface.

FIG. 24 is a plan view of a plurality of tiles formed in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present invention, and illustrating thepositioning and installation thereof on drywall surface, which itself isrepresented in a cutaway view.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a plurality of tiles in another embodimentaccording to the present invention, wherein each tile comprises anadditional exposed portion formed substantially across a middle sectionof the tile, as well as an exposed portions formed along one or moresides of the tile.

FIG. 26 is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a top section and a corelayer.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the tile shown in FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of twotiles according to the present invention comprising a top section and acore layer.

FIG. 29 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising a protective section,a top section, and a core layer.

FIG. 30 is a transverse sectional view of one embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a protective section witha protective layer and a decorative layer.

FIG. 31 is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a protective section witha protective layer and a decorative layer.

FIG. 32 is a transverse sectional view of one embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a protective section, atop section, and a core layer, wherein an exposed portion is formed on amiddle section of the tile.

FIG. 33A is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising at least a vinyllayer and a top section, as well as an exposed portion formed in the topsection, and a core layer which is optional.

FIG. 33B is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention having a vinyl layer, and a topsection comprising a first and a second wear layer and a first and asecond decorative layer.

FIG. 34 is a transverse sectional view of still another embodiment of atile according to the present invention having a vinyl layer, and anexposed portion formed on at least a portion of a core layer.

FIG. 35A is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a vinyl layer, and anexposed portion formed substantially across a middle section of thetile.

FIG. 35B is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a vinyl layer, and anexposed portion formed on a second wear layer substantially across amiddle section of the tile.

FIG. 36A is a transverse sectional view of one embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a vinyl layer and a topsection, as well as an exposed portion formed on the top section of thetile substantially above an interconnecting mechanism.

FIG. 36B is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention having a vinyl layer, and an exposedportion formed on a second wear layer of the top section of the tilesubstantially above an interconnecting mechanism comprising a malemember.

FIG. 37 is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention having a vinyl layer, and an exposedportion formed on the top section of the tile substantially above aninterconnecting mechanism comprising a female member.

FIG. 38 is a transverse sectional view of another embodiment of a tileaccording to the present invention comprising a vinyl layer, and anexposed portion formed on the top section of the tile substantiallyacross a middle section of the tile.

FIG. 39 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising two vinyl layers, andan exposed portion formed on the top section of the tile.

FIG. 40 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising a top section andcore layer having an exposed portion formed within such core layer.

FIG. 41 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising a top section and acore layer having an exposed portion formed within such core layer, suchexposed portion having at least one protective coating disposed thereon.

FIG. 42 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising a top section, a corelayer, and an exposed portion, wherein such top section comprises anenamel coating having at least one design element imparted thereon, andfurther comprising a shielding layer.

FIG. 43 is a transverse sectional view of yet another embodiment of atile according to the present invention comprising a top section and acore layer, wherein such top section comprises an enamel coating havingat least one design element imparted thereon, such top section furthercomprising a shielding layer, wherein such tile comprises at least twoexposed portions, wherein one such exposed portion is formed at amidpoint of the tile.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed towards a tile 1, such as a flooringtile, made from synthetic materials and so as to imitate the look andfeel of real stone, marble, ceramic, wood or other materials, but whichis further structured to offer a simulated grout line, with a highlyrealistic look and feel, on or along at least one side or edge of thetile 1. While the tile 1 of the present invention is particularly wellsuited for use as a flooring tile, it may also readily be used on wallsurfaces or in a variety of other applications, and should not beconsidered as being limited only to flooring applications. As will alsobe described with regard to at least one embodiment, the tile 1 of thepresent invention may also be manufactured so as to include a very thinveneer layer of genuine wood or stone.

In general terms, the tile 1 of the present invention comprises an upperor top section, a lower or core section, and a plurality of sides. Forexample, and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 8, the upper or top sectionmay be defined by a top layer 20, and the lower or core section may bedefined by a core layer 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the top layer 20comprises a first surface 22 that at least partially defines a topsurface 10 of the tile 1, as well as a lower or second surface 24. Thecore layer 30 comprises an upper or third surface 32 adhered to orotherwise connected to the lower or second surface 24 of the top layer20, so as to join the top layer 20 and core layer 30 together. The corelayer 30 also comprises a fourth surface 34 that generally defines thebottom surface 12 of the tile 1, which will be adhered to an unfinishedslab of concrete or other floor surface in a building. In someembodiments, however, the core layer 30 can include sublayers, such as asound proofing or other material.

The tile 1 of the present invention may be formed in part from a vinylmaterial or a vinyl composite material, and may be referred to as aVinyl Composite Tile (VCT). Although the top or upper section may beformed from a variety of materials, vinyl material(s) are preferred fora number of reasons, including the ability to offer a quality product atan affordable price point. The top layer 20 comprises a vinyl compositeor a synthetic plastic polymer such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).However, in at least one alternative embodiment, the tile of the presentinvention may include a top section comprised of a very thin layer ofgenuine wood or stone. As described more in detail herein, in mostembodiments the top layer 20 will include a layer of polyvinyl chloride(PVC), such as a plasticized and/or extruded PVC, having a density thatallows for a realistic looking grout line to be readily and consistentlyformed.

With reference now to FIGS. 2 through 7-B, and 9-11, in some embodimentsthe top layer 20 will comprise additional layers. For example, and asshown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the top layer 20 is illustrated as comprising awear layer 50 and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40. In these andother embodiments, the wear layer 50 includes a top surface 52 which isentirely or at least partially coincident with the top surface 10 of thetile. The wear layer 50 may vary in thickness according to its intendeduse such as residential, light contract, heavy commercial or other typeof use. The wear layer 50 will preferably be formed during themanufacturing process so as to include one or more design features, suchas a texture with some undulation to imitate the look and feel of realstone or marble or a texture that has grooves and/or other impressionsto imitate the look and feel of, for example, a real piece of wood. Inthe embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer 40, such as extruded PVC, is generally disposed between the wearlayer 50 and the core layer 30. For example, the polyvinyl chloride(PVC) layer 40 may be connected at its upper surface 42 by way ofadhesives and/or pressing to a lower surface 54 of the wear layer 50,and similarly connected at its lower surface 44 to an upper surface 32of the core layer 30. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 may comprisea material of synthetic plastic polymer such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC)or may be made out of or so as to include other materials. However,since it includes polyvinyl chloride (PVC) it will be referred to hereinthroughout as the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40. In the preferredembodiments the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 has a density in arange of between generally about 2,000 kg/m3 (124.856 lb/ft3) to about2,400 kg/m3 (149.827 lb/ft3). In at least one embodiment, the density ofthe polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 is generally about 2,000 kg/m3(124.856 lb/ft3). In at least one or more additional embodiments,however, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer comprises another densitywhich can be anywhere in a range from generally about 1,600 kg/m3 (about99.884 lb/ft3) up to generally about 2,600 kg/m3 (about 162.313 lb/ft3).

With reference now to FIGS. 3, 5, 6, 7-A and 7-B, and FIGS. 9-11, thetop layer 20 of the inventive tile 1 may comprise a wear layer 50, apolyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 and also a decorative layer 60. Thedecorative layer 60 may comprise a film or sheet that may be made from avariety of materials such as, but not limited to, polyvinyl chloride(PVC). The decorative layer 60 will also preferably comprise one or moredesign features that help to provide an authentic look of a selectedmaterial, such as real stone, real marble, ceramic, wood, or anothersurface. For example, the decorative layer 60 may comprise a film havingdecorative features corresponding to the look and coloring of a naturalwood grain or a wood flooring plank. In the embodiments of FIGS. 3, 5through 7B, and 9-11, the decorative layer 60 is disposed ininterconnecting relation between the wear layer 50 and the polyvinylchloride (PVC) layer 40. These layers may be adhesively connected orinterconnected by a variety of adhesives known in the art, such as butnot limited to glue. For example, and as can be appreciated from FIGS. 9and 11, the decorative layer 60 includes an upper surface 62 connectedto the lower surface 54 of the wear layer 50, and also, a lower surface64 connected to the upper surface 42 of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer 40. Additionally, the wear layer 50 may be made so as to have asubstantially translucent or transparent appearance. When the wear layer50 is made of a translucent or transparent material, it permits thedesign features carried on the decorative layer 60 to be readily seenthere-through. In one or more embodiments, a coating of another materialmay be applied to the top surface 10 of the wear layer 50. By way ofexample, this coating may comprise a ethoxyline resin (ER) or apolyurethane (PU) material, which may be cured using an ultra-violet(UV) lighting and heating process. It is within the scope of thisinvention, however, to provide a tile 1 with or without the decorativelayer 60.

Additionally, it is within the scope of the present invention to providea tile 1 that comprises waterproofing properties. As such, the materialsof the different layers of the top layer 20 as well as of the core layer30, may all comprise waterproofing properties. Similarly, adhesives usedto connect these layers may also have waterproof properties.

As mentioned previously, the material composition of the top layer 20may vary, but in at least one embodiment, the top layer 20 generallycomprises a mixture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as well as calciumpowder, oil, and a foaming agent. In one preferred embodiment, thematerial composition of the top layer 20 may be about 20% to about 30%polyvinyl chloride (PVC), about 60% to about 70% calcium power, about 5%to about 10% oil, and about 0.5% to about 5% foaming agent.

The tile 1 of the present invention also includes a lower or coreportion, which may be defined by a core layer 30 as shown in FIGS. 1-14.The core layer 30 is preferably formed from a material to allow the tile1 to be rigid as well as waterproof. In the preferred embodiments, thecore layer 30 comprises a densified foam material, and further, willpreferably be relatively light weight. In some cases, the core layercomprising a densified foam material may be referred to as a WoodPlastic Composite (WPC), but the composition of the core layer shouldnot be construed as being limited to this. Additionally, the core layer30 may have a smooth texture. In some embodiments, the tile 1 maycomprise one or more sublayers joined to the core layer 30 to serve asan underlayment or to attenuate sound. These sublayers may be made ofother materials such as laminate foil, cork, foam, or ethyl vinylacetate.

While the material composition of the core layer 30 may vary, itcomprises in at least one embodiment a combination of a syntheticplastic polymer such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), calcium powder, and afoaming agent. In a preferred embodiment, the densified foam material ofcore layer 30 comprises polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in an amount ofgenerally between about 50% to about 55%, calcium powder in an amount ofgenerally between about 40% to about 45%, and foaming agent in an amountof generally between about 5% to about 10%. The foaming agent may be amixture of materials that enhance stability. In another preferredembodiment, the densified foam material of core layer 30 comprises afoam sheet formed from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in an amount ofgenerally between about 45% to about 50%, calcium powder in an amount ofgenerally between about 45% to about 50%, and foaming agent in an amountof generally between about 5% to about 10%. In yet another preferredembodiment, the densified foam material of core layer 30 comprises afoam sheet formed from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in an amount ofgenerally about 46.5%, calcium powder in an amount of generally about46.5%, and foaming agent in an amount of generally about 7%.

Also in certain preferred embodiments of the tile 1, the core layer 30comprising a densified foam material will have a density within anoptimal range from about 800 kg/m3 (which is about 49.942 lb/ft3) toabout 900 kg/m3 (which is about 56.185 lb/ft3), which aids in ensuringthat the tile 1 is sufficiently rigid and durable for flooringapplications. In another preferred embodiment, which is helpful toflooring applications, the density of the core layer 30 is between about850 kg/m3 (which is about 53.064 lb/ft3) to about 900 kg/m3 (which isabout 56.185 lb/ft3). It should be appreciated that while this isconsidered an optimal range, the density of the core layer 30 can alsovary outside of this range, and still be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

For example, in one or more alternative embodiments of the inventivetile 1, the core layer 30 may comprise a different density, such aswithin a range from about 500 kg/m3 (about 31.214 lb/ft3) to about 2,000kg/m3 (about 124.856 lb/ft3). In at least one or more additionalembodiments, the core layer 30 may comprise a different density in arange anywhere from generally about 500 kg/m3 (about 31.214 lb/ft3) upto generally about 1,500 kg/m3 (about 93.642 lb/ft3). As a specific butnon-limiting example, and with reference to FIGS. 18-24, the inventivetile 1 can also be readily used as a wall panel, with several such wallpanels being used to cover a wall surface. Since wall panel(s) will notbe subject to a load from foot traffic or from the weight of heavy itemssuch as furniture, etc., the inventive tile 1 may have core layer 30with a lower density in a different optimal range of about 500 kg/m3(about 31.214 lb/ft3) to about 900 kg/m3 (about 56.185 lb/ft3). As willbe described in more detail subsequently herein, with regard to wallinstallations, the inventive tile 1 having a core layer 30 within thislower density range is advantageous as it provides for a relativelyflexible tile 1 that facilitates installation, particularly when aconnector is used, or when a number of connectors are used, to attachthe tile to a surface, such as a wall.

As another example, however, in one or more alternative embodiments ofthe inventive tile 1, the core layer 30 may comprise a differentdensity, such as within a range from about 1,200 kg/m3 (about 74.914lb/ft3) to about 2,000 kg/m3 (about 124.856 lb/ft3).

As yet another specific and non-limiting example, and with reference toFIGS. 26-28, the inventive tile 1 can include a core layer 230 formed ofa stone plastic composite (SPC) material which, if used primarily tocover a floor surface, will be subject to heavier loads from foottraffic, the weight of furniture and the like. Therefore, the core layer230 in such alternative and other embodiments intended for flooringapplications may have a higher density, as will be described in moredetail subsequently herein.

In general, the overall thickness of the tile 1 may range from about 4millimeters to about 12 millimeters (which is from about 0.157 inches toabout 0.472 inches), depending on the particular embodiment. In one ormore embodiments of the tile 1, the overall thickness of the tile 1 fromthe top surface 10 of the top layer 20 to the bottom surface 34 of thecore layer 30 will preferably be generally about 7 millimeters (about0.275 inches), with the core layer 30 having a thickness in a range ofgenerally between 4 millimeters to about 6 millimeters (about 0.016inches to about 0.236 inches). In embodiments of the tile 1 wherein thetop layer 20 includes a wear layer 50 and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer 40, the top layer 20 may comprise a thickness of about 1.5millimeters (about 0.059 inches) to about 2 millimeters (0.079 inches).For example, the wear layer 50 between its top surface 52 and lowersurface 54 may be in a range of between generally about 0.3 millimeters(about 0.012 inches) to about 0.7 millimeters (about 0.028 inches).Also, the thickness of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 between itstop surface 42 and lower surface 44 may be in a range of betweengenerally about 1.0 millimeters (about 0.039 inches) to about 1.5millimeters (about 0.059 inches), or even to about 2.0 millimeters(0.079 inches).

In embodiments of the tile 1 including a decorative layer 60, such asshown in FIGS. 3, 5 through 7-B, and 9-11, the thickness of thedecorative layer 60 between its top surface 62 and bottom surface 64 maybe in a range of generally about 0.05 millimeters (about 0.002 inches)to about 0.1 millimeters (about 0.004 inches). As illustrated in FIG. 6,the core layer 30 may comprise a thickness of about 5 millimeters (about0.197 inches), with the top layer 20 comprising a thickness of generallyabout 2 millimeters (about 0.079 inches), including a wear layer 50having a thickness of about 0.5 millimeters (about 0.02 inches), apolyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 having a thickness of about 1.43millimeters (about 0.056 inches), and a decorative layer 60 having athickness of about 0.07 millimeters (about 0.003 inches). As mentionedabove, the thickness of the tile 1 may range from about 4 millimeters(about 0.016 inches) to about 12 millimeters (about 0.472 inches).

However, and in other embodiments, the inventive tile 1 may have adifferent overall thickness and still be within the intended spirit andscope of the present invention. Some non-limiting examples of suchalternative embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 26through 28.

In one alternative embodiment, however, and as best shown in FIGS. 4-5,and 7-B, the inventive tile 1 may comprise a polyvinyl chloride layer 40having a substantially reduced thickness between its top surface 42 andlower surface 44. For example, the thickness of the polyvinyl chloride(PVC) layer 40 may be approximately 0.3 millimeters (about 0.012inches), which as described subsequently herein, may facilitate exposingat least a portion of the core layer 30 as the exposed portion 18 duringthe manufacturing process. In such embodiments, the overall thickness ofthe tile 1 will be generally about 5 millimeters (about 0.197 inches) toabout 6.5 millimeters (about 0.256 inches), and preferably,approximately 5.9 millimeters (about 0.232 inches).

As noted above, the tile 1 of the present invention additionallycomprises a plurality of sides, such as 16 or 16′, and may also come indifferent shapes and in varying dimensions. For example, and as shown inthe illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 8-11 and 15-A to 17-B, the tile 1of the present invention may have a substantially rectangular shape withfour sides 16 or 16′. The dimensions of such a tile 1 having arectangular shape may be, by example only, twelve (12″) inches bytwenty-four (24″) inches, but can readily be varied to other appealingdimensions, and may even assume a much longer length so as to be a wallplank or floor plank of, for example, twelve (12″) inches by forty-eight(48″) inches, which can be cut into individual panels. As anotherexample, the tile 1 of the present invention might have a square shape.Moreover, the tile 1 of the present invention might also have six oreight sides 16 or 16′ as is the case with tiles having hexagonal oroctagonal shapes. Other shapes, including those comprising an unevennumber of sides, are also possible depending on the overall desiredvisual effect.

The tile 1 of the present invention also includes along at least one ofits sides, such as 16, an exposed portion 18. As illustrated in FIGS.1-14, this exposed portion 18 extends outwardly below and away from thetop surface 10 of the tile 1, and is defined in part by a sidewall 15formed within at least said top layer 20. As will be describedsubsequently herein, the exposed portion 18 effectively defines a gap 14in the plane of the top surface 10 of the tile 1 that, as perhaps bestshown in FIGS. 8-14, preferably extends uniformly and either completelyor substantially along the length of the side 16. In at least oneembodiment, such as is illustrated in FIG. 6, this exposed portion 18 isconfigured to be located at a depth of generally about 0.9 millimeters(about 0.035 inches) from a top surface 10 of the tile, or in a rangefrom about 0.9 millimeters (about 0.035 inches) up to about 2millimeters (about 0.079 inches) from the top surface 10 of the tile 1.This exposed portion 18 also includes a textured surface structured toclosely represent the look and feel of an actual grout line. As willalso be described subsequently herein with reference to FIGS. 15-Athrough 17-B, when a plurality of the inventive tiles 1 are assembledand installed with their exposed portions 18 disposed in an operativeorientation, they will collectively offer to a person standing close byor a few feet away (or more) a highly realistic appearance both in termsof the tile's similarity itself to a selected material such as realmarble, stone, or ceramic, but importantly, also 1 in terms of the tiles1 having the appearance of an actual grout line caused in large part bythe depth of the exposed portion 18 and the width of the gap 14 relativeto the top surface 10 of the tile 1, as well as the textured surface ofthe exposed portion 18. Moreover, the top layer 20 and/or core layer 30may be manufactured to include a dye that may match or be representativea variety of grout colors so as to correspond with the intended coloringof the overall tile 1.

As is also shown in FIGS. 1-14, the exposed portion 18 of the tile 1,including the sidewall 15 associated therewith, can be seen toeffectively define a gap 14. The width W of the exposed portion 18, andthe gap 14 created thereby, will in the preferred embodiments besubstantially uniform along a length of the side 14 of the tile, and mayrange from being nearly imperceptible, but still visible, to a width Wof about 6 millimeters (about 0.236 inches), or more, depending on thedesired look of the overall surface. The embodiment of FIG. 6, however,illustrates an exposed portion 18 having a width W of approximately 5millimeters (about 0.197 inches). Additionally, the embodiment of FIG. 6illustrates a sidewall 15 that extends into the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer 40 of the top layer 20, so that the exposed portion 18 is formedon or within the PVC layer 40 at a depth D of generally about 0.9millimeters (about 0.035 inches) below the top surface 10 of the tile.However, the exposed portion 18 may be located at another depth, butpreferably within a range of between generally about 0.9 millimeters(about 0.0354 inches) to about 2 millimeters (about 0.079 inches) fromthe top surface 10 of the tile 1. This range should 1 be considered anapproximation as during the production of the tile(s) 1, variations,such as within 0.1 millimeters (about 0.004 inches), are likely, whichmay enhance the realistic appearance of the imitation grout line of thetile(s) 1.

The aforesaid exposed portion 18 having a textured surface structured torepresent the look and feel of an actual grout line is ideally achievedduring the manufacturing process for the inventive tile 1. Morespecifically, in the process of manufacturing the tile 1, a tool such asa press and/or router or another instrument, such a cutting blade(s), aprofiling knife, etc. may be applied to the tile 1, such as to the toplayer 20, along at least one side or edge 16. The press and/or router orother tool may be used to remove all or substantially all of the toplayer 20 extending along a selected side 16 of the tile 1, so as toexpose a portion of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 and define theexposed portion 18 in outwardly extending relation to a selected side,such as 16, of the tile 1. In the preferred embodiments, the density ofthe polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 should be between generally about2,000 kg/m3 (which is about 124.856 lb/ft3) to about 2,400 kg/m3 (whichis about 149.827 lb/ft3), in order to permit the tool, cutting blade(s),knife or other instrument to cut into and profile the polyvinyl chloride(PVC) layer 40 to form the sidewall 15 and exposed portion 18, and tocreate a texture surface thereon that ideally approximates that of finesand. Additionally, this density range provides sufficient structuralintegrity to the polyvinyl chloride 1 (PVC) layer 40 so that it does notdisintegrate, rupture, tear or otherwise incur damage during the cuttingand profiling process. In an alternative embodiment, during the processof manufacturing the tile 1, the tool or instrument used may remove moreof the top layer 20 extending along a selected side 16 of the tile, soas to expose a deeper profile into at least a portion of the core layer30 as well.

Also, in the preferred embodiments of the tile 1 as shown in FIGS. 2-3,6, 9, and 11-14, the exposed portion 18 is formed on the polyvinylchloride (PVC) layer 40. As will become clear from the discussion below,during the manufacturing process, when a portion of the top surface 10of the tile 1 is removed along one side, such as 16 thereof, preferablyat a depth of between 0.9 millimeters (about 0.035 inches) to 2millimeters (about 0.079 inches) below the plane of top surface 10, atleast a portion of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 will be exposedand formed to define the exposed portion 18, including a sidewall 15 anda gap 14. Alternatively, and as has been described relative to FIGS. 4,5 and 7-B, the thickness of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 may besubstantially reduced so as to facilitate exposing at least a portion ofthe core layer 30 to define the exposed portion 18 and gap 14 thereon.

In another embodiment of the inventive tile 1, the top layer 20 maycomprise yet a further additional layer for reasons which will now bedescribed. More specifically, and in those embodiments wherein the toplayer 20 includes a polyvinyl chloride 1 (PVC) layer 40 having a dye orcolorant(s) and a decorative layer 60, an additional layer, which may bein the form of a coating, may be connected to and disposed between thepolyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 and the decorative layer 60. Thisadditional layer may comprise a thin layer of raw polyvinyl chloride(PVC) material which is typically black in color, but in at least oneother embodiment this additional layer may comprise a coating ofmaterial having a tonality that approximates a black color. The need insome embodiments for an additional layer arises because the decorativelayer 60 is generally designed to be used with or against a darkbackground such that it can adequately reflect the desired tones of aselected color and/or overall designs appearing on the decorative layer60. Therefore, some embodiments of the inventive tile 1 may comprise yetan additional layer of PVC or a black coating applied to the polyvinylchloride (PVC) layer 40 to serve as a dark background for the decorativelayer 60, which preferably has a tonality that approximates a blackcolor or other dark background colors such as, but not limited to darkbrown or dark grey. Also, the need for some embodiments of the tile 1 toinclude this additional layer or coating arises because during theformation of the polyvinyl chloride layer 40, when the raw polyvinylchloride (PVC) is mixed with a dye or colorant(s), higher concentrationsof the dye or colorant may accumulate towards the bottom and topsurfaces of the PVC layer 40.

Accordingly, to help ensure that the color of the imitation grout line 1being formed on the tile 1 on or as part of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer 40 is substantially uniform, in the preferred embodiments no morethan approximately 0.4 millimeters (about 0.016 inches) of materialshould be removed from the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 itself, soas to create the exposed surface 18 at a desirable depth within the PVClayer where the dye or colorant(s) tend to accumulate. In at least onepreferred embodiment, the depth of the material removed to create theexposed surface 18 in the PVC layer 40 will be less and generally onlyabout 0.33 millimeters (about 0.013 inches) of material should beremoved. In other words, because the dye or colorant(s) tend toaccumulate at the upper and lower surfaces of the PVC layer 40, anoptimal depth in some embodiments at which the exposed portion 18 willbe disposed or located will be generally between approximately 0.33millimeters (about 0.013 inches) to approximately 0.4 millimeters (about0.016 inches) below the top or fifth surface 52 of the polyvinylchloride (PVC) layer 40. This ensures that the exposed portion(s) 18 isformed on sections of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 thatcomprise an adequate or otherwise sufficient amount of dye or colorant.

With reference now to FIGS. 6, 7-A and 7-B, the inventive tile 1 mayadditionally comprise an interconnecting mechanism formed on the sides16 or 16′ of the tile 1. For example, the interconnecting mechanism ofthe present invention may comprise a “tongue” side 70 formed on or alongone side 16 of the tile 1, and a “groove” side 80 formed on or along adifferent side 16′ of a different tile 1. The “tongue” side 70 and the“groove” side 80 are configured so as to be joined together in matingengagement and facilitate both the installation and alignment of thetiles 1 during installation. Additionally, either the “tongue” side 70and/or the “groove” side 80 may be formed on the tile 1 primarily aspart of the core layer 30 as shown in FIGS. 6-7-B. The “tongue” side 70and the “groove” side 80 may also be structured so as to permit slightmovement and/or rotation between two adjacent tiles, which permitsadjustment of one tile relative to another to accommodate unevensubstrates, or a slab of concrete that is not perfectly level, as isoften the case with unfinished floors and/or walls. As such, either the“tongue” side 70 or the “groove” side 80 may be formed at leastpartially within the top layer 20 as shown in FIGS. 6-7-A.

With reference now to FIG. 6, in a preferred embodiment the inventivetile 1 will have an exposed portion 18 formed on a side 16 thereof whichcorresponds to the “tongue” side 70 only, and not to the “groove” side80. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the gap 14 defined by exposed portion18 and sidewall 15 is also partially defined by the top layer 20 andedge 16′ of an adjacent tile 1 which includes the “groove” side 80.Alternatively, as is shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 7-A and 7-B, the“tongue” side 70 and the “groove” side 80 of the tile 1 may each beconfigured to include an exposed portion 18 having the textured surfacethat imitates the grout line. Other embodiments are also within thescope of the present invention wherein the exposed portion 18 may beformed on a tile 1 with a “groove” side 80, and not on the “tongue” side70. Moreover, the tile 1 of the present invention may be cooperativelyconfigured with different mechanical joining systems made by a varietyof manufacturers. These mechanical joining systems may include arelatively new “click-lock” type of mechanical joining system usedduring installation of a variety of surfaces such as imitation flooringtiles.

With reference now FIGS. 18-24, in certain embodiments the inventivetile 1 can also be structured to facilitate installation, particularlyon a vertical wall surface, but also on other surfaces including ifdesired, a ceiling.

For example, and with initial reference to FIG. 18, the inventive tile 1in such embodiments may be provided with an elongated interconnectingmechanism 125 on or along at least one side thereof 16. The elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125 is structured and disposed to receive aportion of one connector there-through such as at 130, or a plurality ofconnectors, to attach the tile 1 to an underlying surface, such as anunfinished drywall surface, and ideally in a manner that conceals theconnector in the finished installation. Additionally, and with referenceto FIGS. 19 and 20, in embodiments of the tile 1 having the elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125, the tile 1 will preferably also include,but does not have to include, a mating interconnecting mechanism 115formed on or along an oppositely disposed side 116 thereof, for reasonswhich will become clear from the description subsequently herein, below.

Additionally, the inventive tile 1 having an elongated interconnectingmechanism 125 will, in most embodiments but not necessarily in allembodiments, include an exposed portion 18 structured to imitate thelook and feel of a real grout line. As has been described previouslyherein, the exposed portion 18 which provides a realistic looking groutline may be formed along at least one side of the tile 1, such as at116, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 21. In such embodiments, the exposedportion 18 may be formed in a top section of the tile 1, such as apolyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 40 in the manner described previouslyherein. Alternatively, and with reference to the embodiments of FIGS. 19and 20, the inventive tile 1 having an elongated interconnectingmechanism 125 may also be provided without an exposed portion(s) 18.

In other embodiments, the inventive tile 1 having an elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125 may also comprise one or more sub-layersthat serve as an underlayment or sublayer such as for sound attenuation.Such sublayer(s), may be made from materials suitable for this purpose,including but not limited to cork, laminate foil, a thin layer of foam,or ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), and may be connected to or otherwiseadhesively joined to a bottom surface of the core layer 30 of the tile1.

Referring now to FIGS. 19 and 20, in one embodiment the inventive tile 1includes an elongated interconnecting mechanism 125 that comprises alower extended segment 120 formed on at least part of one side 16 of thetile 1. Preferably, however, the elongated interconnecting mechanism isformed along substantially all, and ideally along all of the side 16 ofthe tile 1, and further, so as to have a substantially uniformconfiguration. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the lower extended segment120 extends outwardly and beyond an upper edge 22′ associated with thetop surface 10 of the tile 1. As perhaps best illustrated in FIG. 20,the lower extended segment 120 itself may comprise a top portion 122 anda bottom portion 124 and, while the particular configuration of thelower extended segment 120 may vary, it will preferably extend outwardlyfrom and coplanar with the top surface of the tile 1 at a distance D ofgenerally about 11 millimeters (about 0.433 inches). While this distanceD can also vary, it will preferably be in a range of between about 8millimeters (about 0.315 inches) to generally 13 millimeters (about0.512 inches). Also, this distance D, which may be considered the widthdimension of the lower extended segment 120, is sized, dimensioned andconfigured to provide sufficient space or physical room for receiving aone or more connectors, disposed in an operative position on or alongthe length of side 16 of the tile 1, used during installation to securethe tile 1 to an underlying surface or substrate, such as a wall or aceiling.

Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20, thelower extended segment 120 is formed on or from the core layer 30 of thetile 1. For example, during manufacture of the tile 1, the lowerextended segment 120 may be formed by removing sufficient material fromthe layer(s) of the tile 1 above the core layer 30, such as the topsection 20 of the tile 1, which as described previously herein may haveone or more layers, to reveal the top portion 122 of the lower extendedsegment 120 and to define the lower extended segment 120 at a desirabledistance below the upper edge 22′ associated with the top surface of thetile 1. As an alternative, one or more layer(s) of the tile's 1 topsection 20 may be disposed in an offset relation to the core layer 30,to define the lower extended segment 120, as illustrated in FIG. 21. Itshould be appreciated that in other embodiments, however, the lowerextended segment 120 could alternatively be formed on a polyvinylchloride (PVC) 40 layer of the tile 1 associated with the top section20, rather than being formed on the core layer 30.

As also shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20, thelower extended segment 120 may comprise a lateral portion 126, inaddition to a top portion 122 and a bottom portion 124. As such, anoverlapping portion 128 is also formed on the tile 1 in this illustratedembodiment, and defines a lip extending along the side 16 of the tile 1that serves to partially define the lower extended segment 120 as achannel that also extends along the side 16 of the tile 1. As willbecome clear from the description subsequently herein, this embodimenthaving the lower extended segment 120 comprised of a channel facilitatesinstallation of the tile 1 and further, operates to reduce or eliminateshifting or displacement of the tile 1, following installation of thetile 1 on a vertical surface such as a wall in particular. In theillustrated embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20, as well as in FIG. 21, theoverlapping portion 128 is formed by or within the top section 20 of thetile, and as also shown, is disposed in an offset relation relative tothe core layer 30 of the tile 1, from which the bottom portion 124 andlateral portion 126 of the lower extending segment 120 are formed. Alsoin the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20, the width of theoverlapping portion 128 will preferably be about 3 millimeters (about0.118 inches), but in other embodiments could be quite small at about 1millimeter (about 0.039 inches) or alternatively, larger to a width ofabout 5 millimeter (about 0.197 inches). In addition, the height of thelateral portion 126 may be in a range from anywhere of about 1.5millimeters (0.059 inches) to about 2.0 millimeters (0.079 inches). Itshould be appreciated that these dimensions are approximated for theillustrated embodiment, and can be varied while still yielding a tilethat is within the spirit and scope of the invention.

As also shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the intended location of a connectoron the elongated interconnecting mechanism 125 is indicated in phantomlines at 130. In this embodiment, three connector locations 130 areillustrated on the lower extended segment 120 of the tile 1 although itshould be appreciated that the number of connectors can be moredepending on the length of the particular tile 1, or in some cases,less. The type of connector received on the lower extended segment 120of the tile 1 can also vary, and may include flat-head screws, bolts,“Tapcon” concrete screws, or other types of screws, fasteners, and thelike. One of these connectors may be drilled, screwed, or otherwisedriven directly into one of the intended locations 130 on the lowerextended segment 120 of the tile 1, and into the underlying substrate.By way of example, in drywall applications, installation of the tile 1will typically involve at least two connectors, such as two flat-headscrews, to secure the tile 1, which will preferably occur at thelocation of a support stud for the drywall or closely adjacent thereto.An additional connector may be installed on the tile 1 and fastened tothe drywall that is not at an approximate location of a drywall stud. Itis worth pointing out that if such flat-head screws are used to securethe tile 1 to a drywall surface, they will ideally be driven through thelower extended segment 120 and into the underlying surface behind thetile 1, so that the flat-head portion thereof is substantially alignedor flush with the top portion 122 of the lower extended segment 120. Forvarious reasons, it is preferable that the head of the connector be insuch substantial alignment, including so as to only minimally interferewith, if at all, the movement of the upper extended segment 110 intosliding engagement with the lower extended segment 120.

Additionally, and as previously mentioned herein, the inventive tile 1may have a core layer 30 formed to have an optimal density in a lowerrange than other embodiments disclosed herein. As an example, when theinventive tile 1 is used as wall panel, the core layer 30 may have adensity in a range from about 500 kg/m3 (about 31.214 lb/ft3) to about900 kg/m3 (about 56.185 lb/ft3). By providing the inventive tile 1 witha core layer 30 having a lower density, it results in a rigid, yetlighter, softer and somewhat more flexible tile 1, compared to otherembodiments disclosed herein having higher density ranges for the corelayer 30. This is advantageous, particularly for use on wall surfaces,because a lighter tile 1 is less likely to cause bowing of or tootherwise distort the underlying surface. Additionally, when theinventive tile 1 is being applied to a wall, there should be no loadfrom foot traffic, furniture, etc., and consequently a higher densityand level if rigidity associated therewith is not strictly needed.Moreover, when the inventive tile 1 comprises an elongatedinterconnecting mechanism for use with a connector, the lower density ofthe core layer 30 more readily receives the connector(s) withoutincurring damage. Conversely, a tile 1 with a higher density of the corelayer 30 is likely to be more susceptible to damage when a connector isinstalled through the core layer 30.

In one alternative embodiment of the present invention, a tile(s) 1 maybe provided with pre-drilled holes at the intended locations 130 of theconnector(s). The predrilled holed may even be, if desired, dimensionedto correspond to the size of the connector(s).

Still referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, and as noted previously herein, thetile 1 including an elongated interconnecting mechanism 125 along oneside 16, will preferably also include a mating interconnecting mechanism115 formed on and ideally along an oppositely disposed side 116 thereof,or also an adjacent side, which will also have a substantially uniformconfiguration. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 19 and 20, themating interconnecting mechanism 115 comprises an upper extended segment110 having a top portion 112 and a bottom portion 114. However, thebottom portion 114 is illustrated as having a width dimension W that islarger or wider than that of the top portion 112. As a non-limitingexample, the bottom portion 114 of the upper extended segment 110 mayhave a width dimension W that is generally about 13 millimeters,although this could be anywhere in a range from about 10 millimeters toabout 15 millimeters. In contrast, the top portion 112 may comprise amuch smaller width dimension of about 3 millimeters (about 0.118inches), although this could be anywhere in a range from about only 1millimeter (about 0.039 inches) to about 5 millimeters (about 0.197inches). It should again be appreciated that these dimensions areapproximated for the illustrated embodiment, and can be varied whilestill yielding a tile that is within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

With reference now to FIG. 22, a pair of tiles 1A and 1B are illustratedin an embodiment according to the present invention, and shown in anassembled state, with the edges 16 and 116 of the tiles matingly joinedtogether. More specifically, the elongated interconnecting mechanism 125on a first tile 1A is illustrated as being joined to the matinginterconnecting mechanism 115 on a second tile 1B. As represented inFIG. 22, when these two tiles 1A and 1B are connected, the lowerextended segment 120 faces and/or abuttingly engages with the upperextended segment 110. Additionally, a distal section of the upperextended segment 110 of the tile 1B is matingly received within thechannel defined by the overlapping portion 128 and the lower extendedsegment 120 on the adjacent tile 1A. As stated previously herein, thismating interconnection is operative to reduce or eliminate shifting ordisplacement of the tile 1B during and after installation.

Still referring to FIG. 22, the illustrated embodiment of tile 1B isshown to include a mating interconnecting mechanism 115 that isstructured and disposed to be slidably inserted into the elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125 of tile 1A. More specifically, the upperextended segment 110 of mating interconnecting mechanism 115 is formedto be slidably moved on the lower extended segment 120 of tile 1A into aposition, as shown, with its distal end inserted into the channeldefined by the overlapping portion 128, top portion 122 and lateralportion 126 thereof. Accordingly, the bottom portion 114 of the upperextended segment 110 is structured so as to be capable of sliding withrespect to the top portion 122 of the lower extended segment 120, suchthat, and as represented in FIG. 22, when the two tiles 1A and 1B areconnected, the top portion 122 of the lower extended segment 120 of tile1A faces and abutingly engages the bottom portion 114 of the upperextended segment 110 of tile 1B. In the illustrated embodiment, and asshown in FIG. 20, this is accomplished by the upper extended segment 110having a width dimension W that is slightly larger than the dimension Dof the lower extended segment 120.

Consequently, and in the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 22, arecess, indicated as 140, may be formed in the space between the edges16 and 116 of the joined tiles 1B and 1A. More specifically, the recess140 may comprise a small gap formed between the proximal end 118 of theupper extended segment 120 on tile 1B, and the outer lower edge 16′ ofthe adjacent tile 1A corresponding to the lower extended segment 120.The recess 140 facilitates installation of tile 1B relative to tile 1Aand also allows for dimensional adjustments between them afterinstallation. That is, even after the upper extended segment 110 of tile1B has been inserted into the elongated interconnecting mechanism 125 oftile 1A, the recess 140 allows for some micro dimensional adjustmentsduring installation, such as by allowing the upper extended segment 110to slide slightly relative to the lower extended segment 120. It ispointed out, however, that while a recess 140 has been described andillustrated herein for achieving the slidable insertion of one tile,such as 1B having a mating interconnecting mechanism 115 into anothertile, such as 1A having an elongated interconnecting mechanism 125, itwould also be within the spirit and scope of the present invention toutilize other structures for achieving this purpose, or even to reversethe configuration of the structures described herein.

As briefly described above, the illustrated embodiment in FIG. 22 whichdepicts two tiles 1A and 1B, each having a mating interconnectingmechanism 115 and an elongated interconnecting mechanism 125, allows foran easy and efficient installation of a plurality of such tiles onto asurface such as a wall, as is generally reflected in FIGS. 23 and 24.More specifically, a tile such as 1A may be positioned first on a wallsurface in a desired location with the elongated interconnectingmechanism 125 exposed. To assist with ascertaining a desired locationfor the tile 1A, guide lines may be pre-marked on the wall or othersurface to indicate the intended location(s) where the tiles 1A, 1B,and/or the sides 16′ thereof should be aligned, as shown at 160 in FIG.24. Once a desired location is determined, the first tile 1A may bepositioned on the wall surface and oriented with the elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125 disposed in an upwardly facingorientation, as shown in FIG. 23. The lateral side(s) 16′ of the tile 1Amay be substantially aligned with a structure on the wall surface,whether a corner, a door, a window, etc., such as shown at an initialposition 170 in FIG. 24. One or more connectors can then be drilled intothe exposed lower extended segment 120 at locations such as 130, shownin at least FIGS. 18-19 and 23-24, to attach the tile lA to the wallsurface. The connector(s) are ideally driven far enough through thelower extended segment 120 and into the wall surface so that the headportion of the connector is in close alignment with the lower extendedsegment 120, and the top portion 122 thereof in particular.

Thereafter, a second tile, such as 1B may then be relatively easilyassembled into place adjacent the first tile 1A, with the matinginterconnecting mechanism 115 generally aligned with the elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125, and then slidably moved into matingengagement in the direction of arrow Y shown in FIG. 23. As has beendescribed previously herein, the mating engagement between tiles 1A and1B may be defined by the upper extended segment 110 on tile 1B beingslidably moved on the lower extended segment 120 of tile 1A and intoposition with its distal end inserted into the channel defined by theoverlapping portion 128, top portion 122 and lateral portion 126thereof, as shown in FIG. 22. In the preferred embodiments, once tile 1Bhas been positioned to be matingly joined with tile 1A, the elongatedinterconnecting mechanism 125 associated with tile 1B on an oppositeedge thereof, will be now be exposed, also ideally in an upwardly facingorientation, as best shown in FIG. 23. Consequently, one or moreconnectors can then be drilled into the exposed lower extended segment120 of tile 1B, as described, followed by the introduction of a thirdtile having the mating interconnecting mechanism 115 formed thereon forbeing matingly joined with the elongated interconnecting mechanism 125of tile 1B. This process may be repeated as many times as needed tocomplete an installation of the tiles 1 on a surface.

Additionally, once a plurality of tiles such as 1A and 1B in FIG. 23have been assembled and installed, the upper extended segment 110 of atile 1B serves to conceal the one or more connectors, as well as thelower extended segment 120 through which they pass, to attach the tileto the wall or other surface.

As an alternative, one or more tiles 1 according to the presentinvention may be glued directly onto the underlying surface, whether awall, floor, ceiling, etc.

With reference now to FIG. 21, the illustrated embodiment of the tile 1additionally includes an exposed portion 18 that closely imitates thelook and feel of a real grout line. As shown, the exposed portion 18 isformed on a side 116 of the tile 1 corresponding to the matinginterconnecting mechanism, and upper extended segment 110 so that theimitation but realistic looking grout line will still be visible in thefinal installation.

With reference now to FIG. 24, a plurality of the inventive tiles 1described herein are shown, each as having a substantially rectangularconfiguration, and in an offset pattern or “staggered” relationship toone another. For example, in FIG. 24, three tiles, marked as 1, 2, and5, each comprise a substantially equivalent length, whereas tiles markedas 3 and 4 may comprise a different, reduced length and/or may be cut orotherwise modified during the installation process. One or moreconnectors may be installed at intended locations 130 on the lowerextended segment of the tile 1, some of which should be in alignmentwith the location 150′ of a supporting drywall stud 150, with theapproximate locations 150′ of the supporting drywall studs 150 beingrepresented with broken lines. Once the first tile 1 is secured in aninitial position, such as 170 in FIG. 24, a second tile 2 may beinserted or slid into a side 16′ of the first tile 1. Subsequently,further connectors may be installed on the tile 2 at intended locations130 on the lower extended segment thereof 120 to secure it to thedrywall. Thereafter, another tile 4 may be positioned on top of tile 1and its upper extended segment 110 slidably inserted into the lowerextended segment of tile 1, to begin creating a second row 180 of tiles.As also shown in FIG. 24, a tile 4 may be inserted into tile 1, and tile5 may be inserted into a portion of tile 1 and into a portion of tile 2to create a substantially offset pattern. Additional rows of tiles 1 maybe installed above to substantially cover the intended surface.Installation does not necessarily have be done from right to left, as itmay also be done from left to right.

The production process for the inventive tile 1 can vary, but generallycomprises different production sequences. For example, the core layer 30may be produced by mixing together the raw materials, such as a PVCmaterial, calcium powder and foaming agent, and any accessory materials,and applying heat to melt the mixture. The melted materials may be thenplaced into an extrusion machine that molds the melted material intoboards. At this stage, foaming material may be added to facilitateproduction and thereafter, a resting or curing stage for roughly 24 to36 hours. The production process for the top layer 20 also comprisesmixing together the raw materials, such as a PVC material, calciumpowder, oil and a foaming agent, and any accessory materials, andapplying heat to the mixture to melt it. Then the melted materials maybe pressed over one or more pressing stages to form vinyl pieces, whichat this point, are likely to include a textured surface. Thereafter, thevinyl pieces, which essentially form the top layer 20, may be pressedwith a decorative layer 60, such as a thin film sheet of polyvinylchloride (PVC). A UV coating may later be added to the top surface 10.

After production of the top layer 20 and the core layer 30, individualsheets of both may be adhesively joined or glued together to form thedesired tile(s) 1 as shown for example, in FIGS. 8-11. After applicationof the glue or other adhesive(s), the assembled layers are pressed, forexample, by a cold pressure machine in a thermostatic chamber for about6 hours to about 8 hours. After pressing, the assembled layers may beleft in the thermostatic chamber for about 36 hours to about 48 hours torest or cure. Thereafter, the assembled layers or master-boards may becut into smaller sizes. The master-boards generally have a dimension ofabout 2 meters to about 3 meters, but may have different dimensions.After the assembled layers or master-boards are cut into smaller sizes,each individual piece may be passed through a machine that gives one ormore sides 16 or 16′ of a tile an individual profile. This profile mayinclude forming modifying, roughening or otherwise cutting the sides 16or 16′ of the assembled tiles 1. At this stage, either or both of theexposed surface 18, having the imitation grout line, or theinterconnecting mechanism may be formed. Thereafter, the tile(s) 1 maybe packaged for shipment.

As previously mentioned, the tile 1 of the present invention can beconfigured to imitate the feel or texture of a real material such asreal stone, marble, ceramic, wood, or another material. Accordingly,during the pressing stage a customized texture may be given to the wearlayer 50 of the tiles 1. A computer may be used to configure a pressaccording to a decorative design, such as a visual design of thedecorative layer 60, so that the press gives the wear layer 50 acorresponding texture. More specifically, a picture of the intendeddecorative design may be inputted into a computer so as to program thepress accordingly.

For use as a flooring application, a plurality of the inventive tiles 1will be disposed next to each other in an operative orientation. Assuch, a side of one tile 1 will be disposed next to the side of adifferent tile 1. As mentioned previously, the exposed portion 18 of theinventive tile 1, and the gap 14 defined thereby, may have varyingdimensions. Also, and with reference now to FIG. 15-A, in one embodimentof the tile 1 having a rectangular configuration, each of the four sides16 may have an exposed portion 18 and a textured surface formed thereon.In such an embodiment, the exposed portion 18 and textured surfaceformed on each side 16 may be sized to equal generally one half (½) ofthe overall, intended resulting size of the imitation grout line formedbetween tiles, as illustrated in FIG. 15-B. For example, the width ofthe exposed portion 18 and textured surface may be generally about 2.5millimeters (about 0.098 inches) to about 3 millimeters (about 0.118inches). As such, an entire simulated grout line comprising the exposedportion 18 and texture surface thereon may be formed between twoadjacent tiles and have a width of generally about or between 5millimeters (about 0.197 inches) and 6 millimeters (about 0.236 inches).

In an alternative embodiment, and with reference now to FIGS. 16-A and17-A, an inventive tile 1 may have an exposed portion 18 and texturedsurface formed on only two sides 16 thereof, each of which is sized toequal generally all or substantially all of the grout line formedbetween tiles. That is, and as shown in FIGS. 16-A and 17-A, a tile 1may have two sides 16 that each include an exposed portion 18 and atextured surface formed thereon, and two sides 16′ that do not. Forexample, and as is perhaps best shown in FIG. 16-B, each side(s) 16 ofthe tile 1 having an exposed portion 18 may be disposed next to a side16′ of a tile 1 that does not have such structure. In this embodiment,the exposed portion 18 and textured surface may be sized to have a widthof generally about or between 5 millimeters (about 0.197 inches) to 6millimeters (about 0.236 inches). When two or more of such tiles 1 shownin FIG. 16-A or 17-A are disposed next to each other, as shown in FIG.16-B and 17-B respectively, the visual effect that results is a fullimitation grout line formed around all sides of each tile. However,other combinations of the size and location of the exposed portion 18are also possible.

With reference now to FIG. 25, an additional feature of the presentinvention comprises forming the exposed portion 18 at a middle orcentral section 28 of the tile 1, in addition to, or instead of, one ofits side(s) 16. More specifically, it is often desirable to provide asurface, such as a wall or a floor surface, with a visual appearance ofseveral tiles 1 being disposed in an even arrangement, wherein the fourcorners of four different but adjacently disposed tiles meet at a commonpoint, as can be appreciated by the arrangement of tiles in FIG. 25.From an installation and durability perspective, there are disadvantagesassociated with the even arrangement of tiles as this common point isoften weak and makes the tiles 1 susceptible to damage. The presentinvention addresses this disadvantage by providing a substantiallyrectangular tile 1 that imitates the appearance of two differentsubstantially square tiles 1, and in some embodiments more than twosquare tiles.

More specifically, and as shown in FIG. 25, each one of tiles labeled asTILE 1, TILE 2, TILE 3, TILE 4 and TILE 5 has a substantiallyrectangular shape, with a length that is approximately twice theirindividual width, such as a length of 24 inches by a width of 12 inches.Furthermore, each one of these TILES 1-5 preferably comprises an exposedportion 18 formed along one or more its sides 16 to closely imitate thelook and feel of a real grout line, as described previously herein.However, the inventive tiles shown in FIG. 25 each includes anotherexposed portion, namely, a middle exposed portion, indicated as 18′formed substantially across a middle portion 28 of the tile's visibletop surface 10, which is also structured to closely imitate the look andfeel of a real grout line, as described previously herein. Asillustrated, the middle exposed portion 18′ is disposed within a middleor central portion 28 of the TILE 1, and may extend completely acrossthe top surface 10 thereof between opposite side(s) 16 of the TILE 1.For purposes of clarity, the middle exposed portion 18′ may be formed onthe tile 1 in the in a manner similar to embodiments previouslydescribed herein, such as being formed in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC)layer 40 at a depth below the top surface 22 of the tile 1. In otherembodiments, the middle exposed portion 18′ may be formed in the corelayer 30.

However, and as illustrated in FIG. 25, when a plurality of suchsubstantially rectangular tiles, such as those labeled TILE 1, TILE 2,TILE 3, TILE 4 and TILE 5, are installed next to each other in an offsetmanner, so as to form a “staggered arrangement” similar to that shown inFIG. 24, the resulting appearance will be that of an even arrangement orseveral squares as shown in FIG. 25. For illustrative purposes, each oneof the substantially rectangular TILES 1-5 has a first portion labeledas “A,” and a second portion labeled as “B,” such as “1A” and “1B inTILE 1,” “2A” and “2B” in TILE 2, etc. Each portion, “A” and “B” of eachTILE 1-5 is intended to create the visual impression of being oneindividual tile having a substantially square shape. Said differently,each substantially rectangular TILE 1-5 is intended to provide a visualappearance of two substantially square tiles. A staggered arrangementmay thus be created by disposing the portion “B” of one tile next to theportion “A” of a different tile. This may be done in a “horizontal”manner, such as disposing portion “2A” right next to portion “1B”. Thismay also be done in a “vertical” manner such as disposing portion “3A”directly below portion “1B,” and portion “4A” below portion 5B″. Thisarrangement may be repeated so that the exposed portion 18 of oneside(s) 16 of a tile offering a realistic looking grout line is disposedin alignment with the middle exposed portion 18′ of a different tile,which also includes a realistic looking grout line.

For example, and still referring to FIG. 25, the exposed portion 18 ofthe left side 16 of TILE 3, namely, that marked with tile portion “3A,”may be disposed in alignment with the middle exposed portion 18′ of TILE1, and more specifically, with the middle exposed portion 18′ formedacross TILE 1 between portions “1A” and “1B”. Also by way of example,the exposed portion 18 formed on the right side 16 of TILE 3, namely,that marked with tile portion “3B,” may be disposed in alignment withthe exposed portion 18 formed on the left side 16 of TILE 4, namely,that marked as “4A,” such that both of these exposed portions 18 aredisposed in substantially parallel alignment with each other, and alsoin alignment with the middle exposed portions 18′ of TILE 2 immediatelyabove, namely, that marked between “2A” and “2B”, and also in alignmentwith the exposed portion 18′ of TILE 5 immediately below, namely, thatmarked between “5A” and “5B”.

As may be appreciated from FIG. 25, the visual result offered by theoffset or staggered arrangement of the substantially rectangular TILES 1through 5, each of which has the middle exposed portion 18′ formedthereon, is a substantially even arrangement appearing to be severalsquare tiles arranged with a common point between the four corners offour different but adjacently disposed tiles. The actual physicalarrangement formed by TILES 1 through 5, however, while achieving thisvisual result, includes an actual common point between only two cornersof two different but adjacently disposed tiles. As a result, theweakness associated with the common points, where four different cornersof four different tiles are adjacent to each other, is minimized, andthe chance of tiles being damaged at such common points is greatlyreduced.

Moreover, this benefit offered by the present invention can besignificantly increased. Specifically, while the size of thesubstantially rectangular tiles shown in FIG. 25 are likely to beoffered in a common rectangular shape of 12 inches in width by 24 inchesin length, this can be increased to a much larger size, such as 12inches by 48 inches in length, with each such larger tile formed to haveadditional middle exposed portions 18′ across the middle and othersections thereof, so that when arranged with other such tiles in anoffset or staggered arrangement, the visual result will still offer anappearance of evenly arranged tiles, similar to several aligned squaretiles forming a grid. However, the common points between four actualcorners of four adjacently disposed tiles will be minimized. It shouldbe appreciated, of course, that other dimensions and/or configurationsof the inventive tile shown in FIG. 25 are also within the scope of thepresent invention.

With reference back now to FIGS. 12-14, the tile 1 of the presentinvention may also comprise a bevel 90 formed on one or more side(s) 16of the tile 1 adjacent to the exposed portion 18 and gap 14. The bevel90 may be formed on the sidewall 15 associated with the exposed portion18, at an upper portion thereof so as to be formed on the top layer 20,and specifically on the wear layer 50. The bevel 90 comprises a slantedportion that slopes downwardly, away from the top surface 10 of the tile1 and towards the sidewall 15 that at least partially defining theexposed portion 18. Preferably, the bevel 90 is formed to extenduniformly and coincident with sidewall 15, exposed portion 18 and gap 14along all or substantially all of one the side(s) 16 of the tile 1.Additionally, the bevel 90 may comprise a variety of sizes and angles ofinclination with respect to the top surface 10 of the tile 1. Forexample, the bevel may have an angle of inclination that can range fromgenerally about thirty degrees (30°) to about ninety degrees (90°). Theillustrative embodiment of FIG. 12 shows a bevel 90 having an angle ofinclination of generally thirty degrees (30°). In an alternativeembodiment shown in FIG. 13, the bevel 90 may instead comprise a twostage descent from the top surface 10 to the sidewall 15 definingexposed portion 18 and gap 14 of the tile 1. With reference to FIG. 14,the bevel 90 may alternatively comprise a “micro” bevel 90′. As anotherexample, and as shown in FIG. 13, the bevel 90 may additionally beformed on the exposed portion 18 itself, and may correspond with eitherthe core layer 30 and/or the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) 40 layer insteadof the top layer 20. In such cases, the bevel 90 may have a slantedportion with an angle of inclination of generally about ten degrees(10°).

With reference now to FIGS. 26-28, yet additional features of thepresent invention can include providing a tile 200 with a core layer 230comprised of a material different from previous embodiments describedherein. For example, the inventive tile 200 may also be formed so as toinclude a material such as stone plastic composite (SPC), which may alsoreferred to at times as a stone polymer composite (SPC). Stone plasticcomposite (SPC) is generally a mixture of materials that includesdensified foam polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and stone dust, or an equivalentmaterial, and will typically be about two times the weight (or more) ofthe core layer 30 described previously herein as a densified foammaterial, and is also sometimes referred to as “rigid board.” Suchalternative embodiments using SPC material to form the core layer 230are likely to prove advantageous because the properties of an SPCmaterial include being more resistant to expansion and/or contraction.More specifically, the expansion coefficient of a stone plasticcomposite (SPC) is lower than that of other materials used in flooringapplications, and therefore, stone plastic composite (SPC) materialreduces the possibility that the overall tile 200 will flex, bend, orotherwise expand in ambient conditions. Using a stone plastic composite(SPC) material may also result in reduced or no dimensional shiftingthat might otherwise occur between individual tile(s) 200 afterinstallation.

Accordingly, and in one or more additional embodiments, the core layer230 of the present inventive tile 200 comprises a stone plasticcomposite (SPC) material structured to provide additional rigidity andsufficient support for a top section 220 of the inventive tile 200, sothat the resulting tile 200 is especially suitable for flooringapplications. For example, in one or more of such embodiments, the corelayer 230 comprises a stone plastic composite (SPC) material having anoptimal density in a preferred range from anywhere of about 1,500 kg/m3(about 93.642 lb/ft3) to about 2,000 kg/m3 (about 124.856 lb/ft3). In atleast one preferred embodiment, however, the core layer 230 comprising astone plastic composite (SPC) material will have a density that isgenerally between 1,900 kg/m3 (about 118.613 lb/ft3) to about 2,000kg/m3 (about 124.856 lb/ft3). Additionally, in one or more embodiments,such as shown in FIG. 27, the top section 220 of the tile 200 maycomprise a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 240, although as describedsubsequently herein, given the properties of a core layer 230 thatincludes SPC, this is not necessary and a top section 220 formed ofdifferent materials is also possible.

Indeed, and as previously stated, the top section 220 may comprise aveneer layer or layer of other material, including a coating ofmaterial, which may be referred to as (but not limited to) an enamelcoating 521. This coating of material may comprise an acrylic and/or apolycrylic coating that is initially in liquid form and applied directlyonto the core layer 530 via spraying procedures or other similarprocesses. Such an enamel coating may be comprised of a coloredappearance, or may be clear, and may be applied through sprayingprocesses or other means similarly situated to apply a topical liquidenamel coating directly onto the core layer 230. This coating ofmaterial may comprise an acrylic and/or polycrylic coating, apolyurethane coating, and/or an ethoxyline resin which may be configuredto seal any cracks or gaps inherent in the core layer due to thechemical composition thereof. More specifically, because the core layerof at least one embodiment of the present invention may have a naturallyporosity associated therewith, such an enamel coating may be configuredas a fill coating in order to seep into such porous surface and create asmooth surface upon which design element(s) may be printed.

For instance, as previously stated, such an enamel coating may beconfigured for the application of at least one design element thereon.Such at least one design element may itself comprise, for instance,texture, grooves, impressions, undulations, color or graphical designs,or any other feature now known or hereafter developed. In at least oneembodiment of the present invention, such design element(s) may beconfigured to imitate the texture and appearance of a real materials,such as genuine stone, marble, or wood. However, other appearances ofsuch design element are envisioned herein. Such at least one designelement may be applied onto the enamel coating of the top section 220 ofthe tile of at least one embodiment of the present invention via, forinstance, printing processes.As shown in FIG. 28, in one or moreembodiments, the top section 220 of the tile 200 may comprise a wearlayer 250 and a decorative layer 260. A lower surface 254 of the wearlayer 250 may be joined to a top surface 262 of the decorative layer260. A top surface 252 of the wear layer 250 may be substantiallycoincident with the top surface of the tile 200. Thus, in FIG. 28 thetop section 220 comprises a wear layer 250 and a decorative layer 260,but not a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 240, joined directly to thecore layer 230. More specifically, a lower surface 264 of the decorativelayer 260 may be joined directly to the core layer 230 comprising astone plastic composite (SPC) material. The wear layer 250 and/or thedecorative layer 260 may comprise a relatively thin film or sheet formedfrom polyvinyl chloride (PVC), although it is possible that othermaterials may be utilized. In embodiments wherein the tile 200 includesboth a core layer 230 comprising stone plastic composite (SPC) materialand a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 240, the density of the core layer230 will preferably be greater than the density of the PVC layer 240.

In one or more of the embodiments wherein tile 200 has a core layer 230comprising a stone plastic composite (SPC) material and a wear layer250, the thickness of the wear layer 250 may be in a range from about0.1 millimeters (about 0.004 inches) to about 0.7 millimeters (about0.028 millimeters), and in some embodiments a thickness of about 0.3millimeters (0.012 inches) to about 0.5 millimeters (0.020 inches).Additionally, a polyurethane (PU) coating may be applied to one or morelayers to at least partially reduce scratching of a layer(s) below.

Additionally, in one or more embodiments wherein the core layer 230comprises a stone plastic composite (SPC) material, the thickness of thetile 200 or portions thereof may be reduced. For example, the core layer230 may have a thickness in a range from anywhere of about 3 millimeters(about 0.118 inches) to about 8 millimeters (about 0.315 inches), whichtogether with the density of the core layer 230, is likely to reduce thechances that the tile 200 will crack due to heavy foot traffic. In onepreferred embodiment, the thickness of the core layer 230 will bereduced to approximately 4 millimeters (about 0.157 inches). As anadditional non-limiting example, the overall thickness of the tile 200having a core layer 230 comprised at least in part of stone plasticcomposite (SPC) and including a top section 220 may be about 5millimeters (about 0.197 inches). As yet another non-limiting example,when a tile 200 having a core layer 230 comprised at least in part ofstone plastic composite (SPC) includes a top section 220 including a PVClayer 240, the latter may have a thickness of about 1 millimeter (0.039inches) to about 2 millimeters (0.079 inches).

Also, there can be other embodiments wherein the inventive tile 200comprises a core layer 230 that is at least partially made from a stoneplastic composite (SPC) material, and wherein the top section 220 ismanufactured so as not to include a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 240.For example, in one embodiment, a tile 200 according to the presentinvention may be provided with a core layer 230 comprising a stoneplastic composite (SPC) material, and a relatively thin veneer layer220. The veneer layer 220, which may comprise a “raw” veneer formed froma variety of materials, will preferably comprise one or more layers ofnatural stone or of genuine wood. In such embodiments, the thickness ofthe veneer layer 220 may now be produced to be very thin, such as withina range from anywhere of about 0.3 millimeters (about 0.012 inches) toabout 1 millimeter (about 0.039 inches). In one preferred embodiment,the thickness of the veneer layer 220 is about 0.6 millimeters (about0.024 inches) as in initial testing for durability, favorable resultshave been observed. In at least one embodiment, a liquid vinyl compoundmay be applied to the veneer layer 220 for additional wear and/ormoisture resistance. As previously stated, such a veneer layer 220 mayinstead comprise another material or even a coating of material, whichmay be referred to but is not limited to an enamel coating, such as afill coat or some other acrylic and/or poylcrylic coating applieddirectly onto the core layer. Likewise, as previously stated, at leastone embodiment of the present invention may further comprise theapplication of a shielding layer onto the veneer layer 220 and/or enamelcoating. Accordingly, it may be understood such a shielding layer maycomprise the aforementioned liquid vinyl compound applied onto theveneer layer 220 for wear and/or moisture resistance.

With regard to the material composition of the core layer 230 comprisinga stone plastic composite (SPC) material, while there may be variousformulations, in at least one embodiment this comprises a combination ofstone dust, a synthetic plastic polymer such as polyvinyl chloride(PVC), calcium powder, and a chemical agent. In a preferred embodiment,the stone plastic composite (SPC) material of the core layer 230comprises polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in an amount of generally betweenabout 20% to about 30%, calcium powder or stone dust in an amount ofgenerally between about 70% to about 80%, and a chemical agent, in anamount of generally between about 0.5% to about 5%. In at least oneembodiment the chemical agent may be provided in an amount of about 0.5%to about 2%. The chemical agent may include a lubricating agent, abonding agent, and/or a stabilizer. In yet another preferred embodiment,the stone plastic composite (SPC) material of the core layer 30comprises polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in an amount of generally about24.8%, calcium powder in an amount of generally about 74.5%, and achemical agent in an amount of generally about 0.7%. The core layer 230may be formed as an extruded sheet.

With reference now to FIGS. 29-32, in one or more additional embodimentsof the present invention, tile 300 is configured to reduce or avoidstaining of the exposed portion(s) 18 and/or 18′ comprising theimitation grout line, whether from dirt, oils, dropped food, spilledliquids, etc. For example, the tile 300 shown in FIG. 29 includes aprotective section 370 disposed between a top section 320 and a corelayer 330, and with the exposed portion 18 formed within the protectivesection 370.

Still referring to FIGS. 29-32, the top section 320 of the tile 300 hasa top surface 310, which can be configured to imitate the look and feelof natural materials, as described previously herein, such as naturalstone, genuine wood, etc. For example, and as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31,the top section 320 of the tile 300 may comprise a wear layer 350 and/ora first decorative layer 360 structured to imitate the look of a desirednatural material. The material of the wear layer 350 may be made so asto have a substantially translucent or transparent appearance to permitthe design features of the first decorative layer 360 to be seenthere-through. The wear layer 350 may comprise a clear polyvinylchloride(PVC) material, and further, may be formed with nano-crystals, e.g.,made of micro-ceramic beads or aluminum oxide crystals, so as to beresistant to abrasion. Additionally, the tile 300 illustrated in theseembodiments comprises a core layer 330 made of a densified foammaterial, as previously described herein. In some cases, the core layercomprising a densified foam material may be referred to as a WoodPlastic Composite (WPC), but should not be construed as being limited tothis. In other embodiments, it is possible for the core layer 330 tocomprise a stone plastic composite (SPC) material, as has also beendescribed herein

As best shown in FIG. 30, in one or more embodiments the top section 320of the tile 300 additionally comprises a layer of a polyvinyl chloride(PVC) material 340. The polyvinyl chloride layer (PVC) 340 may comprisenatural or otherwise “virgin” polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This layer ofPVC material 340 is preferably disposed between the first decorativelayer 360 of the top section and the core layer 330, and is structuredto enhance the rigidity and stability of the tile 300, particularly inthose embodiments where the core layer 330 comprises a densified foammaterial.

As shown in FIGS. 29-31, the inventive tile 300 also comprises at leastone exposed portion 18 formed on at least one its sides 16, which isstructured to represent an imitation but highly realistic looking groutline. In these embodiments, the exposed portion(s) 18 and/or 18′ isformed directly on or within the protective section 370.

The protective section 370 comprises at least a protective layer 380 inone embodiment, but in the preferred embodiments, comprises both aprotective layer 380 and another or second decorative layer 390, asshown in FIGS. 30 through 32. In these embodiments, the protective layer380 is disposed above and/or in immediately adjacent, covering relationto the second decorative layer 390. Also in these embodiments, theprotective layer 380 preferably comprises a material that is eithertransparent or substantially translucent, so as to permit one or moredesign features associated with the second decorative layer 390 to beobservable therethrough, such as a coloring thereof, that will generallybe an intended color of the exposed portion 18 or 18′ which closelysimulates a real grout line. Ideally, the material of the protectivelayer 380 is clear or at least translucent, so that the design featuresof the second decorative layer 390 can be observed, and with little tono distortion. The second decorative layer 390 may comprise a very thinfilm having a solid color. However, this is not strictly required as itis possible that the second decorative layer 390 comprises a relativelythin film with other design features and/or patterns. Additionally, theprotective layer 380 is preferably formed from a vinyl compositematerial, including a synthetic plastic polymer which may be, but is notlimited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC). During the manufacturing processfor the tile 300, the exposed portion 18 can be formed by a cuttingprocess utilizing a knife, cutting blade(s), etc. to remove materialfrom the top section 320 and side(s) 16 of the tile 300, to reveal theprotective layer 380, and to form the exposed portion(s) 18 and/or 18′within the protective layer 380 and with a size, shape and texture thatclosely imitates the look and feel of a real grout line. Accordingly,the vinyl composite material of the protective layer 380 is sufficientlyrigid and structured to not only permit the formation of the exposedportion 18, but to withstand wear and tear conditions associated withflooring, whether from being walked upon, furniture being moved, etc. Inaddition, the protective layer 380 is structured to provide protectionto the exposed portion(s) 18 and/or 18′, comprising the imitation groutline, so as to avoid or limit any staining thereof, whether from dust,grease, dirt, oils, pieces of food or other particles.

In one or more embodiments, such as but not limited to one where thecore layer 330 comprises a stone plastic composite (SPC) material, acoating of another material may be applied to the top surface of theprotective layer 380. By way of example only, this coating may comprisean ethoxyline resin (ER) or a polyurethane (PU) material, which may becured using an ultra-violet (UV) lighting and heating process. Further,such a coating may comprise an ultra-violet (UV) cured polyurethane (PU)material that may additionally comprise nano-silica, ceramic beads, orotherwise aluminum oxide crystals. Such a coating may be applied duringthe manufacturing process before boards are cut into individual planksor tile sizes. For most embodiments described herein, however, a tile300 having a protective section 370 will not need a further protectivecoating or painting applied to the exposed portion 18 having theappearance of grout line after the tile 300 is manufactured.

With reference now to FIGS. 30-31, the thickness of the differentsections 320, 370 and 330, as well as the various layers of materialwithin them, may vary according to the intended or particularapplication. As a non-limiting example, the top section 320 of tile 300may have a depth or thickness in a range of generally about 1.27millimeters to about 2.77 millimeters (about 0.05 inches to 0.109inches), comprising a wear layer 350 with a thickness in a range fromabout 0.2 millimeters (0.008 inches) to about 0.7 millimeters (0.028inches), a first decorative layer 360 with a thickness of about 0.07millimeters (about 0.003 inches), and a polyvinyl chloride layer (PVC)340 having a thickness in a range of about 1 millimeter (about 0.039inches) to about 2 millimeters (0.079 inches). The protective section370 may have a depth or thickness in a range of generally about 0.11millimeters to about 0.69 millimeters (0.004 inches to 0.027 inches),comprising a protective layer 380 with a thickness in a range from about0.1 millimeter (about 0.004 inches) to about 0.6 millimeters (0.024inches) and a second decorative layer 390 of about 0.01 millimeters(about 0.0004 inches) to about 0.09 millimeters (about 0.0035 inches).In at least one preferred embodiment, however, the thickness of theprotective layer 380 is about 0.3 millimeters (about 0.012 inches) andthe thickness of the second decorative layer 390 is about 0.07millimeters (about 0.0028 inches). Further, the core layer 330 may havea depth or thickness in a range from about 3 millimeters (about 0.118inches) to about 6 millimeters (about 0.236 inches). As has beendescribed previously herein, the depth of the exposed portion 18 and/or18′, from the top surface 310 of the tile 300, can vary, such as forexample, within a range between about 0.9 millimeters to 2 millimeters.However, in some embodiments, the depth of the exposed portion 18 and/or18′ from the top surface 310 may be less, whether from a slight orminimal depth that may be about 0.3 millimeters deep, or at a greaterdepth such as up to about 1 millimeter (about 0.039 inches). It isemphasized that the foregoing is provided only for illustrative purposesand should not be construed in a limiting sense.

With reference now to FIG. 32, another feature of the tile 300 having aprotective section 370 is to achieve a substantially uniform appearance,at least in the color of a plurality of exposed portions 18 and/or 18′formed thereon. For example, a tile 300 having an exposed portion 18structured to represent a grout line formed along one side thereof asshown in FIG. 30, may further include additional exposed portion(s) 18′representing a grout line that is formed substantially at or across thetop surface 310, such as but not limited to, across a central or middlesection of the tile 300, as shown in FIG. 32 and indicated by the dashedlines at 28. A tile 300 having a protective section 370, as describedherein, is structured to provide a substantially uniform color andappearance to these different exposed portions 18 and/or 18′irrespective of their location on the tile 300 and how each is formedduring the manufacturing process. For example, the exposed portion(s) 18are typically formed along the side(s) 16 of a tile 100 duringmanufacture using a cutting process with one or more blades appliedhorizontally, e.g., by a saw or other machine, in generally parallelrelation to the tile 1. Conversely, to form the exposed portion(s) 18′across a middle section 28 of a tile as shown in FIG. 32, the cuttingprocess uses one or more blades applied vertically or in perpendicularrelation to the tile 300.

By providing tile 300 with a protective section 370, and forming theexposed portions 18 and/or 18′ within protective layer 380,substantially uniformity can be achieved for a plurality of differentexposed portion(s) 18 and/or 18′ in terms of the coloring thereofcorresponding to imitation grout lines, as the protective layer 380provides even distribution for the colorant or dye. In contrast, when anexposed portion(s) 18 or 18′ is formed directly on a core layer, or on apolyvinyl chloride layer, it is difficult to ensure a consistentappearance and color of the exposed portions 18 and/or 18′ becauseduring the manufacturing process, any colorant or dye added to the corelayer 330 or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer 340 tends to accumulate onthe sides, or at the top or bottom surfaces, rather than being evenlydistributed, so that when the various exposed portions 18 and/or 18′ areformed, the color of the imitation grout line may be less thanconsistent. Moreover, the protective layer 380 of tile 300 allows forthe texture of various exposed portions 18 and/or 18′ to be highlysimilar in appearance, despite some inconsistencies in how the cuttingprocess is applied.

With reference now to FIGS. 33A-39, the tile of the present invention isalso capable of yet further embodiments. More specifically, theinventive tile 400 can comprise at least a top section 420 and a vinyllayer 470, as well as an exposed portion(s) 18 structured to look likeand closely imitate a real grout line, and further along with a corelayer 430 in certain embodiments, although this core layer 430 is notalways required.

Also, and as with other embodiments described herein, the tile 400 maybe configured so that the top surface 410 imitates the look and feel ofnatural materials, including, but not limited to, natural stone, genuinewood, etc. For example, as shown in FIGS. 33B, 34, 35B and 36B, the topsection 410 of the tile 400 may comprise a first wear layer 450 and/or afirst decorative layer 460 structured to imitate the look of a desiredmaterial.

However, and as is also shown in FIGS. 33B, 34, 35B and 36B, theinventive tile 400 includes a top section 410 comprising a second wearlayer 440 and/or a second decorative layer 490. The second decorativelayer 490 is structured to include a color that will preferablycorrespond to an intended grout color. Additionally, the material of thesecond wear layer 440 is preferably structured to at least partiallyreduce staining, and generally provides protection to the seconddecorative layer 490 below. The wear layer(s) 450 and/or 440 maycomprise a substantially translucent material so that the designfeatures of the decorative layer(s) 460 and/or 490 may be seenthere-through.

As represented in FIGS. 33A-35B and 39, the inventive tile 400 mayfurther comprise a core layer 430. The core layer 430 is adhered to orotherwise joined to the vinyl layer 470 and may comprise a rigidmaterial, such as a stone plastic composite (SPC) material, oralternatively, a densified foam material, as previously describedherein.

However, and as represented in FIGS. 36A-38, it is also within the scopeof the present invention to provide a tile 400 having a top section 420joined to a vinyl layer 470, but without a core layer 430. Morespecifically, in such embodiments, the vinyl layer 470 comprises a solidvinyl material that is structured and disposed to be sufficiently rigidfor use as a substrate in flooring applications but also, sufficientlyflexible to allow foot comfort for those using the tile 400.Additionally, the vinyl layer 470 may be sufficiently rigid so that aninterconnecting mechanism may be profiled thereon, as described furtherbelow. The solid vinyl material of the vinyl layer 470 comprises atleast a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material. However, the solid vinylmaterial of the vinyl layer 470 may also comprise calcium powder orstone dust. In at least one embodiment, the solid vinyl material of thevinyl layer 470 comprises at least a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material,calcium powder or stone dust, and a plasticizer. As a non-limitingexample, plasticizers commonly referred to as DOTP or dioctylterephthalate may be used. Other examples of plasticizers that may beused include those that do not comprise phthalate.

The following examples of the material composition of the vinyl layer470 are provided for illustration purposes only, and are not to beconsidered limiting, as other variations are possible depending on thespecific application. For example, the polyvinyl chloride material maybe provided in an amount that is about 20% to about 30% of the overallweight of the vinyl layer 470. Also as an example, the calcium powder orstone dust may be provided in an amount that is about 60% to about 70%of the overall weight of the vinyl layer 470. As a further example, theplasticizer may be provided in an amount that is about 10% to about 15%of the overall weight of the vinyl layer 470. In at least oneembodiment, the inventive tile 400 comprises a vinyl layer 470 with avinyl material comprising (i) polyvinyl chloride in an amount that isabout 25% of the overall weight of the vinyl layer 470, (ii) calciumpowder or stone dust in an amount that is about 63% to about 65% of theoverall weight of the vinyl layer 470, and (iii) a plasticizer in anamount that is about 10% to about 12% of the overall weight of the vinyllayer 470.

In one or more preferred embodiments, the vinyl layer 470 of theinventive tile 400 such as is illustrated in FIGS. 33A to 39, comprisesa density of about 1,700 kg/m3 (about 106.128 lb/ft3) to about 2,100kg/m3 (about 131.099 lb/ft3). Favorable results have been observed witha density of the vinyl layer 470 of about 1,800 kg/m3 (about 112.370lb/ft3) to about 2,000 kg/m3 (about 124.856 lb/ft3) but acceptableresults are achievable at densities somewhat outside of this range, asnoted above. In one most preferred embodiment, however, the density ofthe vinyl layer 470 comprises about 1,900 kg/m3 (about 118.613 lb/ft3).Additionally, in those embodiments of the invention including a corelayer 430 in addition to the vinyl layer 470, such as is shown in FIGS.33A to 35B and FIG. 39, the density of the core layer 430 may varyaccording to the specific substrate, i.e., stone plastic composite (SPC)or a densified foam material. In embodiments where the core layer 430comprises a stone plastic composite material, the density of the corelayer 430 may be about 1,500 kg/m3 (about 94.642 lb/ft3) to about 2,200kg/m3 (about 137.342 lb/ft3).

Still referring to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 33A to 39, theoverall thickness of the inventive tile 400 cany vary according to thespecific application. For example, the overall thickness of the tile 400may range from about 3.5 millimeters (about 0.138 inches) to about 7millimeters (about 0.276 inches). In embodiments of the tile 400comprising a core layer 430, the thickness of the core layer 430 may beabout 2 millimeters (about 0.079 inches) to about 3 millimeters (about0.118 inches). The thickness of the vinyl layer 470 may generally beabout 1.5 millimeters (0.059 inches) to about 3.0 millimeters (about0.118 inches). In at least one embodiment, the thickness of the vinyllayer 470 may be about 1 millimeter (about 0.039 inches) to about 2millimeters (about 0.079 inches). The thickness of the first wear layer450 and/or second wear layer 440 may be in a range from about 0.1millimeters (about 0.004 inches) to about 0.7 millimeters (about 0.028millimeters). The thickness of the decorative layer(s) 460 and/or 490may be about 0.05 millimeters (about 0.002 inches) to about 0.1millimeters (about 0.004 inches). In at least some embodiments, thecombined thickness of the wear layer(s) 450 and/or 440, and thedecorative layer 460 and/or 490, may be about 0.07 millimeters (about0.003 inches) to about 0.7 millimeters (about 0.028 inches).

As shown in FIGS. 33A-35B and 38, the inventive tile 400 also comprisesat least one exposed portion 18 formed on at least one of its sides 16,which, as described herein, is structured to represent an imitationgrout line. However, and as shown in FIGS. 35A, 35B and 38, an exposedportion 18′ may also be formed on a middle section 28 of the tile 400.Additionally, and as represented in FIGS. 33A-33B and 35A to 38, theexposed portion(s) 18 and/or 18′ may be formed on the top section 420 ofthe tile 400. In FIGS. 33B, 35B and 36B, the exposed portion(s) 18and/or 18′ is illustrated as being formed on the second wear layer 440.This exposes at least a portion of the second wear layer 440 such thatan intended grout color of the second decorative layer 490 may beobserved there-through. Further, the second wear layer 440 may beconfigured to closely approximate the texture of a real grout line. Forexample, the wear layer 440 may be profiled with cutting knives, saws,or other tools, to result in a texture on the wear layer 440 thatclosely approximates the look and feel of a real grout line. In analternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 34, the exposed portion(s) 18and/or 18′ may be formed directly on the core layer 430, instead of onthe top section 420.

With reference now to FIGS. 36A-36B and 37, the inventive tile 400 mayadditional comprise an interconnecting mechanism 480. As shown in theseFigures, the interconnecting mechanism 480 may be formed on the vinyllayer 470. Alternatively, the interconnecting mechanism 480 may beformed on at least a portion of the vinyl layer 470 and/or a portion ofthe core layer 430. In another alternative embodiment, theinterconnecting mechanism 480 may be formed on at least a portion of thecore layer 430. Additionally, it is within the scope of the presentinvention that the interconnecting mechanism 470 comprise a “click”interconnecting mechanism. As used herein, a “click” interconnectingmechanism may be defined as an interconnecting mechanism comprising amale member 482 and/or a female member 484, which may cooperativelyachieve a mating engagement. In at least one embodiment, the male member482 of one tile 400 may be inserted or otherwise slid into acorrespondingly dimensioned female member 484 of another tile 400,thereby forming a mating engagement.

With reference again to FIGS. 36A-36B and 37, further features of theinventive tile 400 comprise forming the exposed portion 18 and/or 18′ ona portion of the interconnecting mechanism 480. In embodiments of theinventive tile 400 that do not have a core layer 430, the exposedportion 18 and/or 18′ may be formed on at least a portion the topsection 420 above the interconnecting mechanism 480. For example, theillustrative embodiment of FIG. 36 shows a tile 400 with an exposedportion 18 formed on a portion of the top section 420 above the malemember 482 of the interconnecting mechanism 480. As a further example,the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 37 shows a tile 400 with an exposedportion 18 formed a portion of the top section 420 above the femalemember 484 of the interconnecting mechanism 480.

In terms of manufacturing, the inventive tile 400 generally relies on anextrusion process. For example, the vinyl layer 470 may be formed bybeing extruded. Additionally, in embodiments of the tile 400 thatinclude a core layer 430, the core layer 430 may also be extruded, butpreferably, as a separate extrusion from the vinyl layer 470.Thereafter, the vinyl layer 470, the first wear layer 450 and/or secondwear layer 440, and/or the decorative layer(s) 460 and/or 490, may beplaced in a pressing plate and laminated together under sufficient heatand pressure to create a plank. In embodiments comprising a core layer430, the core layer 430, the vinyl layer 470, the wear layer(s) 450and/or 440, the decorative layer(s) 460 and/or 490, may be placed in apressing plate and laminated together under sufficient heat and pressureto create a plank. The plank(s) may be later cut into desired sizes tocreate individual tiles, and/or profiled to create an exposed portion(s)18 and/or 18′.

Additionally, it is within the scope of the present invention to“emboss” the tile 400 to provide a highly realistic natural look.Although it is possible to provide a tile 400 with a surface thatimitates various types of natural materials, “embossing” generallyprovides a flooring tile made of other materials with a highlyrealistic, natural look and feel of a wood surface. The “embossing” ofinventive tile 400 may also be achieved during the manufacturingprocess. More specifically, “embossing” of the wear layer 450 may beachieved by using a press plate configured to correspond to the patternof the decorative layer 460. This may be referred to as an “embossed inregister” effect, wherein the press plate is configured to form aplurality of “ridges” on the surface of the first wear layer 450.Collectively, the plurality of “ridges” may be configured tosubstantially correspond to the design pattern of the first decorativelayer 460 below. This provides an advantage over other “ridge” pattersthat are substantially linear and may not correspond to the designpattern of the first decorative layer 460. Providing a tile 400 with avinyl layer 470 is generally advantageous to achieve “embossing”. Thevinyl layer 470 may act as a substrate that is sufficiently malleable tosubstantially conform, along with the wear layer(s) 450 and/or 440 andthe decorative layer(s) 460 and/or 490, to the profile of an intended“ridge” pattern.

With reference now to FIG. 39, the inventive tile 400 is shown inanother embodiment comprising a top section 420, a vinyl layer 470, acore layer 430, and an additional vinyl layer 470′. As illustrated inFIG. 39, the additional vinyl layer 470′ may be adhered or otherwisejoined to the bottom of the core layer 430. In such embodiments wheretile 400 includes an additional vinyl layer 470′, the core layer 430 maycomprise a stone plastic composite (SPC) material, as described herein.The additional vinyl layer 470′ serves to enhance the structuralproperties of the tile 400. In embodiments of the tile 400 comprising anadditional vinyl layer 470′, the thickness of the vinyl layers 470and/or 470′ may be about 1 millimeter (about 0.039 inches) to about 2millimeters (about 0.079 inches). Furthermore, in embodiments of thetile 400 comprising an additional vinyl layer 470′ the density of thevinyl layers 470 and/or 470′ may be generally higher to account fortheir thicknesses.

Yet additional embodiments of the present invention may be seen withreference to FIGS. 40 and 41. Depicted in such embodiment is a tile 500comprised of a core layer 530 having a top layer or top section 520disposed thereon. Such top section 520 may comprise, for instance, aveneer layer or other layer or coating of material, which may bereferred to as (but is not limited to) an enamel coating 521. Morespecifically, in the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 40 and 41, the topsection 520 of the tile 500 may comprise an acrylic and/or a polycryliccoating applied directly onto the core layer 530 via spraying proceduresor other similar processes. At least one design element 522 may bedisposed on such top section 520, such as through printing processes,wherein such design element(s) 522 may comprise a texture, groove,impression, undulation, color and/or graphical design, or other feature.For instance, the design element 522 may comprise at least one of theforegoing components in order to imitate the look and feel of a genuineflooring material, such as real stone or wood. In at least oneembodiment of the present invention, the top section 520 comprising aveneer layer, other layer of material and/or enamel coating may beapproximately one micron in thickness, although other ranges ofthickness, both smaller and larger, are envisioned herein.

Still referring to FIGS. 40 and 41, it may be seen that an additionalembodiment of the invention may further comprise a shielding layer 523disposed thereon. Such a shielding layer 523 may be configured toprotect the top section 520 from the absorption of liquids or spills, orfrom scratches, abrasions, and deformations. Further, in at least oneembodiment of the present invention, such shielding layer 523 may besubstantially transparent, such that the at least one design elementprinted onto the veneer layer and/or enamel coating 521 is visible therethrough.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the shielding layer523 may comprise a topical coating, such as an acrylic solution, whichmay be applied through spraying procedures or other like processes.Alternatively, such a shielding layer 523 may comprise a wear layer suchas those previously discussed. Even further, such a shielding layer 523may instead comprise a film layer, which itself may comprise a thinsheet of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or some other material akinthereto, such as a thermoplastic polymer or a synthetic plastic polymer.As previously stated, such shielding layer 523 may comprise alternativematerial compositions and thicknesses dependent upon the intendedapplication of the tile 500.

As may be seen with continued reference to FIGS. 40 and 41, in at leastone embodiment of the present invention wherein the top section 520comprises a veneer layer, layer of other material and/or enamel coating,the tile 500 may further comprise at least one exposed portion 18 formedwithin the core layer 510. More specifically, such an exposed portion 18may be profiled, via means already discussed herein, after theapplication of a coating material as one layer (or more) of the topsection 520 onto the core layer 510, and the subsequent application ofat least one design element thereon. As may be seen, such an exposedportion 18 may, in at least one embodiment, be disposed in connectionwith a bevel and/or chamfer 90, or some other slanted edge formed on theside(s) of the tile, as previously recited herein. As may be understood,in such an embodiment, such an exposed portion 18 may be disposed on atleast one edge of the tile, and/or at a middle portion thereof, orotherwise.

With reference now to FIG. 41, in at least one embodiment of the presentinvention, such an exposed portion 18 may have a protective coating 540applied thereon, wherein such protective coating 540 may be configuredto protect the same from the absorption of liquids which may be spilledthereon. In at least one embodiment, such a protective coating 540 maycomprise a painted coating, or may comprise some other material, whethercomprising cement, epoxy, acrylic, urethane, or otherwise, and mayfunction as both a colorant and a sealant. In this manner, it may beunderstood such a protective coating 540 may be configured to providethe foregoing functional benefits of protecting the grout line fromdiscoloration and/or damage, while likewise providing the exposedportion 18 with a selective coloration. Accordingly, such a protectivecoating 540 may be disposed to provide the exposed portion 18 with anycolor which may be deemed suitable for its intended application. Forinstance, such a protective coating 540 may be selected to match incolor with the at least one design element applied onto the top surface.

As may be understood, the embodiments of the present invention depictedin FIGS. 40 and 41 may be formed via a process which may comprise: (a)forming a core layer 510; (b) applying a top section 520 onto a corelayer 510, wherein the top section 520 comprises a coating of material,which may be referred to as an enamel coating; (c) applying at least onedesign element onto the top section 520; (d) profiling at least oneexposed portion 18 within the core layer 510; and (e) applying at leastone shielding layer 530 onto the top section 520; and (f) applying atleast one protective coating 540 onto the exposed portion 18. In thismanner, it may be understood the foregoing embodiment of the presentinvention may be formed more efficiently and at less cost due to areduction in layers and, by extension, a reduction in requisitematerials. With reference now to FIG. 42, in yet additional embodimentsof the present invention the tile 500 may additionally comprise at leastone interconnecting mechanism 580. The interconnecting mechanism 580 mayitself comprise two disparate portions configured to fit a correspondingportion disposed on an adjacently disposed tile 500. For instance, suchinterconnecting mechanism 580 may comprise a male portion 580a and afemale portion 580b, each of which may itself comprise a tongue side anda groove side, one portion of a click-lock configuration, or any otherconfiguration now known or hereafter developed. Accordingly, it may beunderstood such a tile 500 may be configured to allow for matingengagement with other adjacently disposed tiles 500, therebyfacilitating alignment there between, and thus the installation thereof.As previously stated, in at least one embodiment of the presentinvention, such interconnecting mechanism 580 may be structured topermit slight movement and/or rotation between adjacent tiles, which maypermit any such installation to accommodate uneven substrates, such as aslab of concrete that is not perfectly level.

With continued reference to FIG. 42, it may be seen that such a tile 500may comprise a top section 520 disposed on or in connection with a corelayer 530, the latter of which may be comprised of any rigid material,such as a densified foam material, a stone plastic composite material, awood plastic composite material, a stone polymer composite material, orotherwise. As previously stated, such top section 520 may, in certainembodiments, comprise a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer. However, in theembodiment depicted in FIG. 42, such top section 520 may insteadcomprise a veneer layer and/or layer of other material, such as acoating of material, which may be referred to herein as (but not limitedto) an enamel coating 521 which, as previously stated may comprise insome embodiments an acrylic and/or polycrylic coating applied directlyonto the core layer 530. Disposed on top of such enamel coating 521 maybe at least one design element 522, such as a texture, groove,impression, undulation, color or graphical design, or any feature whichmay, in certain embodiments, be configured to imitate the look and feelof a genuine flooring material, such as real stone or wood. Such enamelcoating 521 and at least one design element 522 may have a shieldinglayer 523 disposed thereon, coincident with the top surface 510 of thetile, which may be configured to protect the tile 500 from scratches,abrasions, and deformations, and/or from the absorption of liquids. Aspreviously stated, alternative embodiments of such a shielding layer 523may comprise an acrylic solution, a wear layer such as the onepreviously discussed herein, or at least one thin sheet ofpolypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or some other material akin thereto,such as a thermoplastic polymer or a synthetic plastic polymer. As maybe seen, such a tile 500 may further comprise at least one exposedportion 18, which itself may be disposed in connection with a beveland/or chamfer 90.

In accordance with the foregoing, depicted in FIG. 43 a tile 500 havingat least two exposed portions 18, wherein one of such exposed portions18 is configured not at the edge of the tile 500, but rather central ormiddle portion thereof. More specifically, the tile 500 shown in theembodiment depicted in FIG. 43 may comprise a core layer 530, whichitself may comprise, for instance, a stone plastic composite material;however, alternative material compositions of such core layer 530 areenvisioned herein. As may be understood, and in connection with at leastone embodiment previously recited herein, such exposed portion 18 mayextend completely across the top surface 510 of the tile 500 betweenopposite sides thereof. As may also be seen in FIG. 43, in, the tile 500may further comprise a top section 520 disposed directly on or inconnection with the core layer 530. Such top section 520 may comprise aveneer layer and/or other layer of material, including a coating ofmaterial such as an enamel coating 521, which itself may comprise, forinstance, a polyurethane coating. As may be seen, such an enamel coating521 may be configured such that the exposed portion 18 is disposedwithin such enamel coating 521, or otherwise has such enamel coating 521disposed thereon.

Further, such a top section 520 may additionally comprise at least onedesign element 522 applied onto such an enamel coating 521. Aspreviously stated, such at least one design element 522 may comprise,for instance, at least one, or a plurality of textures, grooves,impressions, undulations, color or graphical designs, or any otherfeature now known or hereafter developed. Disposed on such an enamelcoating 521, and thus such at least one design element 522, may be ashielding layer 523 which, as previously stated may comprise a topicalcoating, a wear layer, a film layer of polypropylene and/or polyvinylchloride, or any other material, whether a thermoplastic polymer, asynthetic plastic polymer, or otherwise.

Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can be madeto the described preferred embodiment of the invention, it is intendedthat all matters in the foregoing description and shown in theaccompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. For example, the various ranges given herein as thedensity of a material or for the depth of thickness of a section of theinventive tile should not be considered as the only possibilities. Asanother example, when using the words “preferably” or “in a preferredembodiment” and similar language, it is intended to mean one particularembodiment, and it should be appreciated that other embodiments arepossible and considered part of the invention herein. Thus, the scope ofthe invention should be determined by the appended claims and theirlegal equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tile comprising: a top section at leastpartially defining a top surface of the tile; a rigid core layer joinedto said top section; a plurality of sides at least partially defined bysaid rigid core layer; and at least one exposed portion defined withinsaid rigid core layer, said at least one exposed portion configured toimitate a grout line.
 2. The tile of claim 1, wherein said top sectioncomprises an enamel coating.
 3. The tile of claim 2, wherein said enamelcoating comprises an acrylic coating.
 4. The tile of claim 1, whereinsaid enamel coating comprises a thickness approximately equal to onemicron.
 5. The tile of claim 1, wherein said top section has at leastone design element imparted thereon.
 6. The tile of claim 1, whereinsaid top section further comprises at least one shielding layer, said atleast one shielding layer at least substantially coincident with the topsurface of the tile.
 7. The tile of claim 6, wherein said at least oneshielding layer comprises an acrylic solution.
 8. The tile of claim 1,wherein said rigid core layer comprises a stone plastic compositematerial.
 9. The tile of claim 1, wherein said at least one exposedportion has at least one protective coating applied thereon.
 10. A tilecomprising: a top section at least partially defining a top surface ofthe tile, said top section comprising a coating of material having atleast one design element imparted thereon; a rigid core layer joined tosaid top section; a plurality of sides at least partially defined bysaid rigid core layer; and at least one exposed portion disposed alongat least one of said plurality of sides.
 11. The tile of claim 10,wherein said rigid core layer comprises a material selected from thegroup consisting of: a densified foam material, a wood plastic material,a stone plastic composite material, or a stone polymer compositematerial.
 12. The tile of claim 10, wherein said coating of material isat least partially comprised of polyurethane.
 13. The tile of claim 10,wherein said at least one exposed portion is defined within at least aportion of said top section, such that said coating of material isconfigured in covering relation thereto.
 14. The tile of claim 10,wherein said top section further comprises at least one shielding layerdisposed at least substantially coincident with the top surface.
 15. Thetile of claim 10, wherein said at least one exposed portion has at leastone protective coating applied thereon.
 16. A method of producing atile, the method comprising: forming a rigid core layer, the rigid corelayer comprising a plurality of sides and a top surface; applying a topsection to the rigid core layer, the top section comprising an enamelcoating; imparting at least one design element onto the enamel coating;and forming at least one exposed portion on at least one of theplurality of sides of the rigid core layer.
 17. The method of claim 16,further comprising applying a shielding layer onto the enamel coating ofthe top section.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the rigid corelayer comprises a stone plastic composite material.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the enamel coating comprises an acrylic coating. 20.The method of claim 16, further comprising applying at least oneprotective coating onto the exposed portion.